


you live in my mind, rent free

by fourhorsemen



Category: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - No Capes, Coming Out, End pairing still a mystery but we gettin' there boys, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Love Triangles, M/M, Multi, No Capes No Clones, Playing fast and loose with shitty romcom plot devices, Slow Burn, Very Very Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:34:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 57,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourhorsemen/pseuds/fourhorsemen
Summary: Dick Grayson turns 21, comes out,  upturns his life, moves to Central City and becomes roommates with two extremely hot, allegedly straight redheads.One is his childhood best friend and another a total stranger. What could go wrong?STATUS:ON INDEFINITE HIATUS
Relationships: Artemis Crock/Kaldur'ahm, Dick Grayson/Roy Harper, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Kon-El | Conner Kent/M'gann M'orzz, Roy Harper/Jade Nguyen (Past)
Comments: 334
Kudos: 321





	1. Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> Finally thought of a proper title! :')  
> Formerly titled: And They Were Roommates.
> 
> No beta, we die like Jason Todd, brutally via crowbar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prologue

Dick stared at the phone in his hand with apprehension. A contact page was open – “Wally West.”

_He probably doesn’t even have the same number. This is stupid._

Nervousness ate at him as his thumb hovered over the call button. He looked up and saw a blonde woman from his flight embracing a short brunette woman, both were pink in the cheeks from raucous laughter. He sighed and stared at his phone resolutely. _What’s the worst that could happen?_ He’d say no, and Dick would follow his original plan and crash at a youth hostel.

He pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear. He worried at the skin of thumb, worrying at the already torn skin as it rung. After a whole minute of it ringing, he had almost decided to give up and cut the call when it was picked up.

“Hey! Who’s this?” Wally’s cheerful voice rung out and Dick froze. It had been years since he had heard that voice…

“ _Hellooooo?”_ Wally questioned, clearly confused at the silence on the other end. Dick snapped to attention.

“H-hey! Wally…. It’s Dick. I don’t know if you remember me,” Dick began, speaking fast but he got immediately cut off by a delighted Wally West.

“Holy crap!! Dick _Grayson?_ I haven’t heard that voice in years!” Wally cried happily, and Dick felt a smile tug at his lips.

“You… remember me?” Dick asked, a little awed. Wally laughed on the other end, sharp, bright laughter that made Dick feel a pang in his chest. He’d missed that laugh.

“Of course I do, you idiot! Why are you calling? You in town? Wait, is everything okay? This isn’t like a I-have-a-terminal-illness-and-I’m-dying kind of call right? Or wait, waiiit, are you getting _married_? Am I getting invited to a _wedding_ right now? Do I get to be best ma-” Wally rambled uncontrollably and Dick couldn’t help but laugh. _Some things never change._

“No- No. I mean. Yeah I’m in town, at the airport actually. I’m not dying… or getting married. Who gets married at 21?” Dick asked, chuckling. He could picture Wally’s abashed expression.

“Hah, you’re right. I got a little too excited there. Wait, you’re at the airport!? I’ll come pick you up!” Wally said excitedly. Dick sputtered over the phone.

“Wait, I didn’t mean you had to come- I mean- I just sprung this on you I can’t expect you to drop everything and come pick me up, Walls!” Dick exclaimed, eyes widening, naturally reverting back to old nicknames.

“Oh, shut up dude! I live like, 30 minutes from the airport. I could probably make it in 15 minutes if I drive fast. Be there in a flash!” Wally said, and cut the call before Dick could protest. _Well… I guess Wally West is going to come pick me up,_ Dick thought, trying valiantly to ignore the familiar little flutter in his chest.

* * *

_I could spot that red hair a mile off_. Dick thought fondly when he caught sight of Wally over the crowd.

 _He’s… grown._ Dick thought, eyes widening a little as he took in the breadth of Wally’s shoulders and the length of his stride. Wally had always been tall and thin with a runner’s build, but he’d never been… muscular. Dick crushed that train of thought immediately. He shouldn’t be ogling his friend who had been kind enough to pick him up despite years of no contact between them.

While Dick had spotted Wally almost immediately, it was obvious that Wally was struggling to recognize which of these strangers was Dick Grayson. He saw Wally approach two different raven-haired men before Dick took pity on him. Dick lightly jogged towards Wally, who had his back turned to him. He tapped him on the shoulder. Wally spun around so fast he teetered on his feet for a bit, before settling on his heels. He met Dick’s eyes, expression confused as his eyes roved over Dick.

“Hey, I don’t think you’ve got the right guy. I’m looking for my friend too, actually!” Wally said politely, giving him a bright smile. Dick smirked and raised an eyebrow. Wally stared at him awkwardly for a few minutes until his eyes widened in recognition.

“ _Dick Grayson?!”_ he yelped, flinging his hands in the air in his surprise. Dick couldn’t help but cackle, putting a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

“Oh that’s definitely you, I’d recognize that laugh anywhere!” Wally said, grin widening until it covered half his face. He grabbed Dick by the shoulders and crushed their bodies together in a tight hug, practically lifting Dick off the ground. Dick laughed into his shoulder and clutched him back. _God, this feels good._ He thought, giddy with happiness. Wally backed off and then looked Dick head to toe. Dick tried not to shiver at those vibrant green eyes looking him over.

“Wow, puberty hit you like a _semi-truck_. I thought you’d be shorter!” Wally gasped and Dick snorted.

“Those short jokes aren’t so funny now are they? I’m almost as tall as you now!” Dick said with a smirk. Wally rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his lean torso.

“Still about half an inch short, midget!” Wally teased, rocking back and forth on his heels as he took Dick’s appearance in. Wally looked at him speculatively and raised both eyebrows before he continued.

“But… I gotta admit. You are _definitely_ packing a lot more muscle than me. _Damn_ , what have you been lifting? Cars? Buildings?” Wally said incredulously and Dick shoved him in the chest playfully.

“I do something other than just _cardio_ ,” Dick said mockingly and Wally made an affronted noise.

“I do more than cardio!” he grumbled and Dick laughed, subconsciously leaning forward into Wally. Wally didn’t seem to notice, he just smiled, green eyes bright with mirth and pulled Dick into another hug. This one lasted a lot longer. Wally’s long arms wrapped around his shoulders. Tired from his journey… and other things, Dick gave in. He wrapped his arms tightly around the redhead’s torso and rest all his weight on his taller friend. He nestled his head between Wally’s neck and shoulder and inhaled the scent of that familiar cologne.

He felt… so comfortable in Wally’s embrace. _It’s dangerous to get attached to this,_ he thought sadly. With an inaudible sigh, he forced himself to pull away. He smiled softly at Wally, who had a fond expression on his face.

“I’ve missed you. Come on, you look exhausted. You can crash at my place!” Wally said cheerfully and grabbed Dick’s arm, practically dragging him to the exit with the energy of a golden retriever. Dick felt his smile widen into a grin and let himself be manhandled by his friend.


	2. Introductions

As much as Dick wanted to catch up with Wally and talk for hours upon hours. The minute he sat on the redhead’s couch; he felt his eyelids drooping. He vaguely remembered mumbling a few answers to some of Wally’s inquisitive questions before the redhead chuckled and threw a blanket over him and told him to get some sleep.

Hours later, Dick woke up groggily, surveying this surroundings with consternation. He rubbed his eyes, shifting into a sitting position and pulling his knees to his chest. He sunk back into the couch, soft, coffee coloured cushions. Burgundy rug… mahogany coffee table. This wasn’t the mansion... It wasn’t until his eyes drifted to coaster on the coffee table with _Central City_! written on it with the backdrop of a sunset that he remembered.

_I’m at Wally’s apartment._

He smiled a little, which widened when he heard a key turn the lock in the door, and red hair peeked around the frame. His delighted blue eyes raised to meet olive green eyes. _Wait… olive?_

_That’s not Wally._

He sat up in shock, blanket falling to the floor. The redhead at the door crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him. Dick’s eyes dropped to his arms, where muscles bulged, biceps straining against his short-sleeved black Henley. The man had red hair, which at second glance was darker than Wally’s and more auburn in colour. His skin was tanned, and his eyes were a sharp, dark, olive green that were currently framed by angry, furrowed brows.

“Who the fuck are you?” he growled, and his deep voice made Dick shiver. He couldn’t help but notice that the man was… incredibly attractive... in a dangerous sort of way. With a strong jawline and a frown where Wally’s face was always adorned with a grin, this redhead clearly had a temper.

“I’m Wally’s friend. Sorry, I didn’t know he had a roommate! I was in town and he said I could crash here, I can leave if you want!” Dick sputtered, still groggy and feeling off-kilter. The man’s eyes narrowed, eyes darkening, and Dick froze.

“Prove it,” he said, voice low and leaned against the door jamb, twirling his keys through his fingers. Dick could feel the tension in the air despite the casual posture the man had taken. He had no doubt Wally’s roommate would have no compunction about kicking him out on his ass. Dick fumbled for his phone and called Wally, who was conveniently his last call in his phone’s call log so there was no dialling involved.

He put the phone on speaker and sat on high alert as they both heard the _ring-ring-ring._ The man’s predatory gaze didn’t wane the slightest as the phone rung and Dick felt his hackles begin to rise. He straightened his posture instinctively. He could take care of himself if this guy decided to resort to violence.

Thankfully, Wally picked up.

“Hey Dickie bird! You awake already?” Wally said joyfully and Dick cringed at the childhood nickname. The man raised an eyebrow and mouthed “ _Dickie bird”_ mockingly. Dick felt a spike of annoyance and felt his brows furrow. He looked away and cleared his throat, then answered Wally.

“Yeah uhm… look your roommate’s home… and he seems pissed… He doesn’t believe me when I say you let me crash here,” Dick said warily, keeping one eye at the redhead still leaning at the doorway menacingly, blocking his only exit.

 _Pissed… Now that’s an understatement. More like murderous._ He thought to himself.

“Oh! You mean Roy?” Wally asked and then chuckled, “Yeah, he’s like that! Give him the phone, would ya?” Dick frowned, not too keen on passing his personal property to a man who looked like he’d probably smash it to make a statement.

Reluctantly, he got to his feet, walked slowly to the door and offered … _Roy_ , his phone. Roy looked him up and down, sizing him up, then took the phone from his grasp. He looked at Dick challengingly, daring him to protest as he took the phone off speaker. Dick grit his teeth but said nothing.

 _Of course_ , he didn’t trust Dick enough to let him hear the conversation. He heard Wally’s tinny voice ramble over the phone, while Roy hummed in response, eyes still trained on Dick. A minute later, he cut the call without having spoken a word.

“So, Dick Grayson huh?” he drawled, Dick’s phone still in his hand, where he dangled it between his forefinger and thumb. Dick tried to muster up a polite smile, but his eyes kept flicking to where his phone hung in Roy’s grasp.

“Yeah. Wally’s childhood best friend. I’m sure he told you,” Dick said warily and put his upturned palm out, requesting his phone back wordlessly. Roy stared at him, unaffected and made no move to give him back the phone. Dick bit the inside of his lip to avoid outwardly grimacing and moved closer, tentatively grabbing his phone. Fortunately, Roy let it slip his grasp easily and without protest.

“So, your name’s Roy?” Dick said hesitantly, vibrating with a kind of nervous energy that made him want to shift on his feet but unwilling to show any weakness to the belligerent stranger in front of him. Roy, if that was his full name, didn’t deign to answer. He scoffed and shoved past Dick to what Dick assumed was the direction of his bedroom.

Dick scowled at the man’s back and went back to sitting on the couch. He thought about calling Wally and asking him when he’d be back… but that seemed a little too needy of him. He decided to rest on the couch but found himself too uneasy to fall back asleep in the house with Roy present. He sighed and started scrolling through his Twitter feed. Might as well see what his friends in Gotham City were up to.


	3. Triple Trouble

After about 2 hours of scrolling mindlessly through his Instagram feed and jerking every time he heard a door open and close, the lock to the front door finally jiggled to reveal a much more welcome set of red hair and green eyes. There was no mistaking those bright, emerald eyes for the dark, olive ones that had glared daggers at him earlier. Dick sighed in relief.

“Hey Dick! Sorry I took so long! Got a little tied up at work. You know how it is at Star Labs,” Wally said cordially. Dick raised his eyebrows, he didn’t know Wally worked at Star Labs. He smiled when Wally threw himself on the couch, jostling Dick and flinging a cushion the floor with his weight. 

Dick turned sideways to face Wally, right as the man flung an arm over the back of the couch, hand resting comfortably on Dick’s shoulder. Dick tried not to flinch away from the touch, he’d forgotten how tactile Wally was.

“You work at Star Labs?” Dick asked curiously and Wally nodded. He let out a tired sigh and rested his head on the back of the couch, eyes closed. Dick tried not to let his gaze linger on the arch of his throat.

“Yep. I’m still just a lab tech! I’m hoping in a few years I’ll get to head my own research team, but you know how cut-throat it is! You’ve got to be like… a genius to get funding for a whole new project!” Wally whined, eyes opening slightly to peek at Dick mournfully. Dick grinned at him and nudged his shoulder.

“You _are_ a genius, from what I remember,” Dick said warmly and Wally’s face split into an abashed grin.

“Awww, Dickie bird, you flatter me,” he said and Dick scrunched his nose in annoyance.

“Would you please stop calling me that… I’m not 13 anymore you know. Hell, I didn’t like that nickname when I was 13, and I _still_ don’t like it,” Dick groaned and Wally just laughed in response.

“Hey! It’s cute!” Wally teased and Dick smacked him with a couch cushion, which only served to muffle his laughter slightly before Wally’s free arm slapped it to the floor.

“It’s _embarrassing_ ,” Dick corrected and Wally shook with laughter, Dick could feel the vibrations from where Wally’s arm had migrated to rest across his shoulders rather than the back of the couch. Wally just beamed at him and Dick couldn’t keep up his miffed expression much longer. He grinned back and they just looked at each other…

Until someone cleared their throat. 

“So, childhood best friends? Or… childhood boyfriends?” Roy sneered, one eyebrow raised derisively. He lounged in a Lazy boy chair to the left of the couch, next to Wally, with a beer in hand. Dick stiffened, he hadn’t even noticed the man come in.

“Oh shut up dude, you wish you had a friendship like ours,” Wally chortled, kicking the Lazy boy with his foot and jostling Roy a bit. Roy snorted and took a sip of his beer. Dick glanced away, uncomfortable with the way Roy’s heavy gaze bore into him.

“Anyway, Dick. How long you in town for?” Wally asked, turning back to Dick. Dick tried his best to ignore Roy’s presence, it was surprisingly easy when faced with Wally West’s one hundred percent full attention.

“I… I don’t know actually,” Dick said, eyebrows furrowed. He hadn’t really planned anything out when he’d packed his bags and pretty much run away from the mansion. He still remembered Bruce glaring at him from the steps. Speaking of…

“Where are my bags?” Dick asked, and Wally waved a hand dismissively.

“Eh, I put ‘em in my room, don’t worry about it bro,” he said and Dick stared at him.

“You didn’t have to do that, they were pretty heavy,” Dick admonished and Wally scoffed.

“Ain’t nothin’ too heavy with _these_ guns,” Wally said with a smirk, flexing his biceps. Roy snorted in the chair next to them and went back to sipping his beer and scrutinising Dick. Dick couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“So, where you going to stay?” Roy said gruffly, the first real words he’d spoken to Dick that weren’t a mock or a jeer.

“I… uhm. Look I get it, I won’t bother you. I know this was a bit of a surprise visit,” Dick sighed and looked at Wally apologetically. He’d basically dropped in on the man with zero notice after 5 years without calling or writing.

“Hey, you know I love surprises,” Wally said jovially and Dick smiled a little.

“I don’t,” Roy said pointedly and Wally groaned, “Dude, you are _such_ a grouch.” Dick grit his teeth and met Roy’s eyes resolutely _. I got the message, loud and clear._

“It’s okay. I’ll just find a youth hostel tomorrow. I’ll just crash on the couch for tonight,” Dick said, “ _Just_ tonight,” he added for good measure, staring at Roy and trying to gage his reaction. The man’s face was unreadable, but Wally’s reaction was impossible to ignore. The man squawked and jumped to his feet, almost taking Dick down with him.

“What? No _way_ are you staying at some youth hostel when your best bud’s apartment is _right_ here!” Wally said indignantly and Dick found himself caught between his friend’s affronted gaze and Roy’s annoyed expression.

“Wally… It’s not just up to you... You have a roommate,” Dick pointed out quietly, glancing at Roy. Wally groaned and stared at the ceiling, then he turned towards Roy with his hands on his hips.

“Dude, Dick’s staying with us, okay? I’m not kicking him out on the curb just ‘cause you’re such a grouch,” Wally said adamantly and Dick put a hand over his face. Leave it to Wally to not know how to negotiat _e at all_. Roy just stared up at Wally with a sneer.

“Both our names are on the lease, Wall-Man,” Roy said slowly, unhurried, and Dick looked at him in surprise when he called Wally by his self-proclaimed nickname. He had thought they were just roommates, but it seemed like Roy and Wally might actually be friends. He tried to quietly assess the man, but despite his best efforts he couldn’t crack the redhead’s calm yet charged demeanour.

“Oh come on, he’s not going to bother you. Dick can sleep in my room! He’s not gonna touch your _precious_ beers, or your chair, or use your weird herbal shampoo. You’ll barely notice he’s here!” Wally argued, almost like a small child and Roy just rolled his eyes.

“First of all, my shampoo’s not weird. And it’s my basic right as a roommate to demand you keep your grubby paws off my stuff and that includes my beers,” Roy said gruffly, setting his beer on the table and crossing his arms over his chest. He flung his legs onto the table and leaned back in his chair challengingly before continuing, “and I will _definitely_ notice he’s here,” Roy said and let his eyes rove over Dick head to toe, dark and glittering. _Was… that a come on?_ Dick thought incredulously. _No, no it can’t be._ He corrected himself. He wasn’t going down that road.

“ _Royyyy,”_ Wally whined, any and all rational arguments now simply regressed into wheedling. Dick suppressed the urge to put his head in his hands. There was no hope for him, he might as well grab his bags and get out now. It’s too bad he’d denied Alfred’s insistent demands in taking some extra cash from him _(“This isn’t Master Wayne’s money. Please Master Grayson, accept it as a gift from someone who cares for your wellbeing,”)_ because now he’d have to stay at some dirty, rented by the hour motel.

Surprisingly, Roy gave in. “You’re a fucking idiot, West, I don’t know why I put up with you,” Roy grumbled, glaring daggers at Wally, who whooped and pumped a fist through the air.

“Hey, don’t start jumping for joy just yet,” Roy said, eyes narrowed, and his gaze honed in on Dick with a laser focus.

“The minute Grayson here starts getting underfoot, he’s out of here,” he said with finality and Dick almost felt the air crackling with his pent-up aggression. Dick cleared his throat nervously.

“Nope, won’t be getting underfoot. Not even overfoot, just foot. Totally foot, you’ll barely notice I’m here,” Dick muttered anxiously, reverting to his strange brand of humor in his apprehension. Roy gave him a weird look and Wally laughed.

“Can’t believe you’re _still_ butchering the English language,” he chuckled and then dragged Dick to his feet.

“Come on! I’ll show you my room. I think I have a sleeping bag somewhere… You can always just sleep on my bed though, I really don’t care!” Wally started rambling as Dick staggered after him, hand still in Wally’s hold. He looked over his shoulder one last time to where Roy’s unyielding gaze was pinned on him and then turned away.

_I’ll just have to get used to that._


	4. Coffee Crush

Despite Dick’s many protestations, Wally had given Dick his bed and went to sleep on the couch. (“It’s super comfortable! Trust me, I’m getting the good end of the deal,” Wally had joked and Dick hadn’t believed a word.) He woke up to an alarm ringing and felt around for his phone. His phone remained silent and Dick blinked sleepily in confusion.

 _Oh, this must be Wally’s alarm._ He thought and found that the redhead had left his phone on his desk. Dick got up and grabbed it, he turned it off and ventured outside the room. Wally was lying on the couch, one arm flung over the back of the couch and both legs hanging off the side of the couch from knees-down. Dick sighed, it looked extremely uncomfortable. There was no way he was letting Wally kip on the couch again. 

He gently nudged Wally’s shoulder, shaking him slightly to try and wake up. The redhead remained dead to the world and Dick looked at him fondly. He crouched down and whispered “Wake up, Wally,” softly in his ear, shaking him a little more. Wally sniffed in his sleep and turned to face him but did not wake. Dick found himself taking in his best friend’s face, at the freckles dotting the bridge of his nose, how his red eyelashes rested lightly on his cheeks and the relaxed moue of his mouth.

Dick felt his heart beat faster, a _rat-a-tat_ rhythm he was all too familiar with when it came to Wally West. He sighed. _Maybe this is a mistake. I should have stayed in Gotham… Kept up the charade._ He thought cynically and then shook himself out of it. No, he promised himself he’d be true to himself but… Wally mattered too much to him. He couldn’t ruin this friendship with any lingering feelings.

_Friendship. I can do that._

He turned back to Wally and shook him harder, “Wake up idiot!” he yelled in his ear. Wally’s arms flailed as he jerked awake, blubbering and looking every which way in shock.

“Whuh- wh- Dick? Whatimes it?” Wally mumbled, hazy with sleep and Dick rolled his eyes. He showed Wally his phone screen and Wally’s eyes widened.

“Ohhhh fuck, I have to get ready for work!” Wally yelped and stumbled off the couch. “Thanks for waking me, Dick!” he shouted as an afterthought as he rushed to the bathroom. Dick shook his head and got up, wandering over to the kitchen.

He automatically walked towards the coffee maker in the corner then paused. _Was… Roy home?_ He walked back into the living room, keeping his footsteps light as he went into the hallway leading to the bedrooms. He passed by Wally’s door, with the _DC Flash_ sticker on it, to the next door, unadorned with any stickers. _Really, not even a … Danger! Keep Out! sign?_ He thought in amusement.

Roy’s door was closed and he couldn’t hear any sounds. Wally was still in the shower… He could hear the water running. Dick bit the inside of his lip. He’d have to risk it. Slowly, he turned the doorknob, inching the door open. The room was dark, but the sliver of light from the hallway illuminated a lump under the sheets which he could only assume was Roy. He closed the door as carefully as he could, half afraid the man would wake up and wring him by the neck.

 _Guess he’s home._ As he walked back to the living room, Wally ran out of the bathroom, dripping wet and still in his boxers. He almost slammed right into Dick, who stumbled back with his hands in the air.

“Woah! Hey sorry, I’m in a _huge_ rush. Help yourself to whatevers in the fridge!” Wally muttered quickly, bouncing on his feet, which were leaving wet imprints on the floor. His towel was flung over his shoulders and water dripped off his nose.

“Um… what about Roy?” Dick couldn’t help but ask and Wally scrubbed a hand through his wet hair, ends still dripping. 

“Oh yeah, don’t worry about him! He works nights, he’s out like a light till midday,” Wally said, at Dick’s apparent confusion he added quickly, “It was his day off yesterday, or something. I don’t know. His schedule’s pretty weird!” Then he shouldered past Dick with a mumbled apology, to his own bedroom to get dressed.

_Guess it couldn’t hurt to get a cup of coffee then._

Dick went back to the kitchen and brewed a pot. It took him a few minutes to find the mugs, and when he did he took out two. One for Wally. He grabbed some milk from the fridge and spent about 5 minutes looking for sugar until he gave up. While he was pouring it out into the mugs, Wally walked into the kitchen.

“Oh hey, you made me a cup too! Love ya, dude,” Wally said and then grabbed the mug. He took a slice of bread from the fridge and popped it in the toaster as he leaned against the kitchen counter and sipped his coffee.

“Where do you keep your sugar?” Dick asked and Wally squinted.

“Uh, I don’t think we have any,” Wally said sheepishly and Dick raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t have any… sugar, or salt, I bet?” Dick asked, based on a hunch. Wally shook his head.

“And all your fridge has is milk, beer and bread,” Dick added and Wally shrugged in response, grinning over his cup.

“Do you cook _at all_?” Dick asked incredulously.

“Nah, dude, we mostly survive on takeout,” Wally said flippantly, when Dick gave him a judgmental look, he added defensively, “I get free food from the STAR Labs cafeteria for breakfast _and_ lunch 5 days a week. I can afford to get takeout for dinner, y’know.” Dick shook his head and sipped at his diluted coffee, making a face at the bitter taste.

“So you live like a bachelor is what you’re saying,” Dick clarified and Wally just shrugged in a ‘ _pretty much’_ sort of gesture. Dick chuckled and kept sipping at his coffee.

“Does Roy cook?” Dick asked curiously and Wally looked thoughtful.

“Sometimes. On weekends. I have no idea when he eats, to be honest. He’s working at night and he’s asleep till lunch,” Wally said, “I guess he subsists on beer and chips,” Wally joked and Dick frowned. _That’s not healthy…. It’s also really none of my business_ , he thought.

“Anyway, I gotta dash!” Wally exclaimed, glancing at his wristwatch. He put the mug in the sink and grabbed his toast, which had conveniently just popped out of the toaster. This was clearly a daily ritual. 

“See ya! Make yourself at home!” Wally said on his way out, and Dick heard the door close.

“Sure, if Roy will let me,”Dick muttered sarcastically. He tried a few more sips of coffee, then sighed when the taste didn’t get any better. He found himself missing the coffee Alfred made him, brewed to perfection, with a spoon of sugar just like he liked it... Dick scowled. _I’m not some spoiled scion like everyone in Gotham thinks._ He chugged the rest of the tasteless coffee and rinsed out his cup with water before putting it on a drying rack.

He might as well hop in the shower before Roy woke up and kicked him to the curb.


	5. Tigress

After showering and grabbing a piece of toast to eat. The first thing Dick did was start looking for job postings online. There was no way he was going to freeride off of Wally’s generosity. The whole point of moving halfway across the country was so he could start a new, independent life without Bruce Wayne’s shadow falling over him. Dick was going to get a job and pay some form of rent, or at least utilities, while he was still housed under Wally’s roof. Not to mention, owing _Roy_ a favour just put a bad taste in his mouth.

His eyes fell upon a posting on the Central City twitter feed.

**_Tigress All-Purpose Gym: Empowering Our Women_ **

_Looking for Yoga Instructor. Minimum 2 years experience required. Preferably female. Pay negotiable._

He had years of gymnastic experience under his belt. Dick wondered if that counted as experience in their book. The posting also specified a female but “preferably” indicated perhaps they were open to male candidates.

 _It’s worth a try._ Dick thought. He typed _“Tigress Gym”_ into Google Maps and it displayed an address about 3 kilometers away from him. Dick shrugged, he could jog there. Gym was open too. He’d go there in person, it would make a better impression than just applying online. Besides, better to leave the house before The Grouch woke up and Dick started getting “underfoot.”

The _Tigress Gym_ had a big, yellow sign with a logo of a prowling tiger. It was a ground-level facility tucked at the end of the street, to the right of a laundromat, of all places, but it clearly dominated most of the street corner in terms of space. Dick walked through the glass doors and found it to be a spacious and brightly lit space.

Instead of a reception area, it immediately opened up to a two boxing rings on either side of the large space. On the far end, there was a slightly secluded area, where Dick saw a few gymnastic mats. Along with the lights, large windows were high enough on the tall walls to provide privacy, but still infuse the room with swaths of natural sunlight. The gym felt warm and full of energy, the opposite of the usual cramped atmosphere of gyms Dick was used to. There were two rooms on the far end, which he assumed served as a studios for private classes.

He wandered in, there weren’t any people in due to it being a weekday and about 10 am in the morning. Most people had already completed their workouts and left for work. He drifted a hand over the dark blue poles of the boxing ring to his right, which stood sturdy and on a raised platform. He spotted a blond woman exercising on the mats. She was wearing black tights and a tank top with a striped tiger print. Dick could just make out an employee name tag stuck to it. 

_Interesting uniform._ He thought as he approached her.

“Hey, my name’s Richard. I saw a job posting for this place?” he said, catching her attention. The woman straightened from her stretch and turned to face him. She looked older than him, possibly in her 30s or 40s, but still absolutely gorgeous. Her long blonde hair wasn’t tied up, and Dick wondered how it didn’t get in the way.

“Hi, I’m Dinah,” she said with a polite smile and offered a handshake. Dick shook her hand and smiled back. 

“You’re here for the yoga instructor position, I take it?” she asked and Dick nodded. She made a _walk with me_ gesture, and Dick followed her obediently.

“So, Richard…” she inquired and he said, “Grayson. Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick,” he said and she gave him an amused look.

“Alright Dick, any experience in yoga instruction? Previous employers?” she asked, tone suddenly much more professional and Dick realised this was his interview. _Kind of unorthodox_ , he thought. She didn’t even ask him for his resume… Dick straightened his posture and cleared his throat.

“Not exactly… I have a few years of gymnastics under my belt though. Tumbling and gymnastics team in high school. 2 times Gotham City Under-19 Gymnastics Champion, and second runner up for USA National Gymnastics Championship.” Dick stated and Dinah looked at him, impressed.

“How old are you Dick?” she asked and he paused.

“I’m 21. I know that’s a bit young, but I have a high school degree and I just completed my BBA at Gotham U last month,” Dick said quickly, hoping to bulldoze over the fact he was barely out of college. Dinah smiled at him warmly, probably sensing his nervousness.

“It’s alright, we’re not too concerned with your level of education here, as long as you have skill and passion. It’s clear to me the passion will be no problem, seeing as you devoted most of your life to gymnastics. Now the skill, I would like to gage for myself,” she said and stopped walking. Dick startled a little when he realised she had led him in a circle around the gym right back to the mats they started at

“Show me what you’ve got,” she said and gestured to the mats.

“Right now?” he asked, eyes wide and she smirked a little.

“Why not?” she said and he nodded begrudgingly. It was a good thing he was in his workout clothes to begin with. He stepped onto the mat tentatively and started to do his stretches. He could see Dinah nodding approvingly, most likely because he didn’t immediately jump into the poses. After stretching out his legs with a few perfunctory stretches and a deep split for good measure, he stood up.

“I’ll do a few yoga poses, since that’s what the position calls for,” Dick said, hoping to exude confidence and Dinah nodded, gesturing him to go on.

Dick took a deep breath and kneeled on the mat, placing his hands on the mat a little above his shoulders. He slowly lifted his knees from the floor and drew his thighs back, stretching on his heels. He straightened his knees and firmed his shoulder blades, his head between his upper arms and assumed the Downwards Dog pose. He held the pose for a few minutes then started bending his knees inwards, shifting into another pose.

He brought both knees up to chest level and rested his weight on his hands, then slowly straightened his legs upwards fluidly into a handstand. He felt the familiar strain on his shoulders, a pleasurable burn that he had missed feeling in the past few tumultuous months. Any awareness of Dinah’s presence fell away, as he carefully lowered his shoulders, keeping his body straight, and rested on his forearms and head. He lowered his legs at the hip until his body formed an L shape, displaying his core strength.

He tipped backwards a little and let his feet touch the ground, carefully moving out of the pose. He rested for a few minutes in Child’s Pose before straightening and simply kneeling on the mat. He took another deep breath and bent backwards into _Utrasana_ , his palms touching his feet. He lifted his shoulders, squeezing his elbows together as he did and moved his head back gradually. He kept bending backwards, exhaling as he did and let his elbows rest on the floor as he pushed his hips out. His head rested on the floor and he could see Dinah upside down as he rested in _Kapotasana_ pose. 

It was only when Dinah started clapping that Dick snapped out of his trance and slowly came out of the pose, spine popping as he did. He rose to his feet and stared her self-consciously. He hadn’t meant to just ignore her like that. He should have waited for her to instruct him and tell him what poses to do.

“Wonderful! Your experience is clear and with the way you practically went into your own little world there, I’m no doubt you’re extremely passionate about gymnastics and yoga,” Dinah said with a broad smile and Dick’s eyebrows raised in surprise. _I thought I blew it,_ he thought. He started to feel optimistic, but then Dinah’s expression dropped a little.

“Only problem is, as you might have guessed our gym largely caters to women. We do have a few male members come in every now and then, but our entire brand focuses on teaching women mindfulness, yoga, self-defense and martial arts.” Dinah said and Dick nodded, he had thought as much.

“Aside from our part-time volunteer Kaldur who assists with self-defense classes, all of our instructors are female. Women… simply feel more comfortable being taught by women, especially in exercises that require a lot of physical contact from the instructor,” Dinah said, regretfully and Dick’s face fell. 

“I’m wholeheartedly in favor of hiring you, but I will have to speak with the other instructors… Our business is a joint effort, and I can’t make an executive decision. I’m not sure the others will agree, especially since they weren’t here to witness your expertise. It’s very likely a female instructor with some job experience will be favored,” Dinah sighed, frowning and Dick nodded with a wry smile.

As he was about to offer a handshake and take his leave. A thought occurred to him.

_I moved here to be true to myself…_

He cleared his throat nervously. “What if… the physical contact wouldn’t be an issue?” he asked tentatively and Dinah stared at him, brows lightly furrowed, clearly not understanding. 

“I’m gay,” he blurted, feeling suddenly terrified, yet like a weight was taken off his chest. After Bruce and Alfred, Dinah was the first person he had told. He had mentioned it casually as an aspect of himself, rather than the dramatic revelation that it was back in Gotham. It felt strange and surreal but liberating at the same time.

Dinah looked stunned then she grinned widely.

“That’s great! I still have to speak to the rest, but I’m very confident that they’ll agree that you are a good fit for the position. I sincerely doubt any women under your instruction would feel unsafe,” Dinah said cheerfully and instead of a handshake, gave him a friendly, almost maternal hug. He smiled and hugged back but his cheerfulness was a little dampened at her words. He felt slightly hurt that he had to be gay in order for any woman to feel safe around him. Dinah seemed to sense his discomfort.

“Look, I understand it may seem discriminatory, for your sexuality to be a determining factor. But unfortunately, our members safety and ability to feel comfortable at our establishment always comes first. Many of the women who come here have been sexually assaulted, physically or mentally abused by their male peers or partners.” Dinah said sadly. 

“Our business has made it our mission to make a safe space for them. Personally, I am confident after meeting you that you are a respectful man regardless of your sexuality, but to these women you’re just a male stranger. I hope you can understand,” Dinah added, tone serious but with a inner strength that Dick was hard-pressed to argue against. Everything she had said was true, Dick could hardly hold it against her when he had lived and witnessed the daily atrocities committed against women in Gotham City, crime capital of USA since he was 9 years old.

“I understand, I’ll leave you my contact information?” Dick asked and Dinah smiled. He typed in his number into her phone and assured her he would send her his CV. She waved a hand and said it there was no need, it was simply a formality, but on his way out of the gym, Dick emailed his CV to the email address provided on the gym’s website using his phone.

He jogged back in the way he came, limbs loose and for the first time in a long time, mind at peace. 


	6. Underfoot

Dick knocked on the locked door of the apartment, sweaty from his run and vibrating on his feet. In his haste, Wally had forgotten to leave Dick any way of entering the apartment. It had only been an hour since he left though, so he hoped Roy was awake… and that the belligerent redhead kept his word and didn’t leave him locked out.

After two minutes of hesitant knocks that became much more insistent as Dick waited, the door finally opened to a wet, shirtless Roy. Dick felt his mouth go dry as he saw water drip down the man’s chest and had to physically stop himself from looking anywhere south of his navel, where a towel hung on loosely. He snapped his gaze up to see Roy glaring at him.

 _Underfoot_ , he thought and suppressed a hysterical laugh.

“Um, sorry. Wally didn’t really leave me any way to get in or out by myself,” Dick mumbled, looking anywhere but at Roy. He didn’t like the way his heart was beating a rhythm in his chest more associated with strenuous exercise, nor the heat of arousal snaking across his cheeks. He was _not_ attracted to Wally’s douchebag of a roommate.

Roy rolled his eyes and walked away with a grunt. Dick’s eyes dropped to the dip of his back, where just a hint of ass was showing above the towel. Face starting to flame, Dick rushed inside and shut the door, resting his back on it as Roy walked towards the kitchen, rivulets of water running between the muscles of his back.

Dick rushed to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face, before going to Wally’s bedroom to change out of his sweaty workout clothes. He tried not to think of a bare, naked Roy a hallway away, probably sipping at his coffee, lounging in his Lazy boy chair, dripping all over the leather. He felt his dick twitch and stared at it horrified. He willed his arousal away and hid in Wally’s bedroom until he heard the click of Roy’s bedroom door shutting. 

Then came the issue of his dirty clothes, which he was still clutching in his hands. Dick bit his lip… Asking Roy would not go over well. He took out his phone and shot Wally a text.

> D: what to do with laundry?

Wally replied almost immediately.

> W: stick it in my hamper bro
> 
> D: … you’re ok with that?
> 
> W: yeah dude its fine it’s all going in the wash anyway
> 
> D: thanks

Dick sighed in relief and saw the half-empty hamper lying in the corner. He put his workout clothes in it and leaned on Wally’s desk. His phone pinged right as his mind began to wander to Roy again.

> W: roy still giving you trouble? 

Speak of the devil…

> D: besides glaring murder at me, not really
> 
> W: hah! what’d you do
> 
> D: went out for a jog and forgot i didn’t have a key
> 
> W: oh shit! sorry bro, i left in a major hurry
> 
> D: yeah, yeah its ok.
> 
> D: he opened after i knocked for like 2 minutes straight
> 
> W: lol, did you wake him up?
> 
> D: nope… he came right out the shower
> 
> W: wow, lucky you. 11 am? that’s early for roy
> 
> W: i guess because it was his day off yesterday
> 
> W: trust me if you woke him up, he’d probably kick you out

Dick frowned. Great, so he couldn’t leave the house in the morning without worry of being locked out now. He started re-evaluating his living arrangements, not realising he’d forgotten to reply to Wally.

> W: hey! don’t worry man. i’ve got an extra key somewhere! 
> 
> D: thanks walls, you’re too good to me
> 
> W: pshh don’t mention it
> 
> D: aren’t you supposed to be hard at work right now?
> 
> W: shhh i’m a genius remember
> 
> D: mhmmm, hardly working then
> 
> W: oh come on, i was just waiting on some samples
> 
> W: anyway, they’re done now, i better go
> 
> W: oh yeah! there’s no food in the house
> 
> W: i’ll pick you up for lunch at 1 o’ clock!
> 
> D: you don’t have to do that
> 
> W: gotta go! see you at 1

Dick smiled shyly, putting a hand over his mouth. He hadn’t even thought about lunch himself. He’d forgotten how considerate Wally could be. Dick shuddered at the thought of having lunch with Roy. He was going to stay in this bedroom until the clock hit 1 pm, that’s for sure.

* * *

Dick was futzing about on his phone, scrolling through Twitter when he felt eyes on him. Roy, fully clothed this time, leaned on the door jamb of the bedroom door, which remained slightly ajar. 

“Want some food?” Roy asked, and Dick looked at him in surprise.

_Is he actually being friendly?_

“Um, nah. Wally’s picking me up in about… 15 minutes. Thanks for asking though,” Dick replied, eyes flitting between his phone screen and Roy’s gaze. Roy looked slightly amused at Dick’s response.

“Lunch date?” he drawled and Dick frowned a little.

“Just two friends having lunch,” Dick said lightly, trying to take the joke in stride. Unfortunately, Roy just rubbed him the wrong way ever since their unpleasant first meeting. It was clear that Roy could tell because his expression became more mocking.

“So. Dick Grayson. Would you happen to be _the_ Dick Grayson?” Roy asked, tone light but eyes dark. Dick stiffened, pulling his attention away from his twitter feed to face Roy head on. Roy loomed over him from the doorway, already having the physical advantage over Dick, who sat cross-legged on Wally’s bed.

“Yes, I‘m Bruce Wayne’s son,” Dick said through clenched teeth. Roy’s smirk widened.

“What you doing in Central? Got bored of Daddy’s money?” he jeered and Dick curled his hands into fists where they rested on the bedspread.

“You don’t know a damn thing about me,” Dick hissed, glaring up at Roy and Roy… laughed.

“So, the _Dickie bird’s_ got talons after all,” he quipped, one eyebrow raised. Dick felt the wind go out of his sails, his fingers uncurled and he just stared at Roy in disbelief. 

“Are you always like this?” Dick asked, mouth agape in incredulity. Roy just winked at him and left.

“Don’t put out on the first date,” Roy called over his shoulder as he sauntered down the hallway. Dick shook his head and counted down the minutes till Wally would get here.


	7. S.T.A.R.

Central City S.T.A.R Labs was exactly how Dick remembered it, which is to say it was _massive._ Star Labs was a hulking building, an enormous stainless steel, glittering glass-covered circular structure with 3 towers set equidistant in its circumference. Dick remembered coming to Central City, the Science Hub of the United States for unforgettable museum trips and Science Fairs. Hell, Central City’s Annual Science Camp was exactly where Dick had met Wally to begin with.

Every other S.T.A.R Labs branch scattered across the country paled in comparison to the monolith in front of him. Even Gotham’s teetering skyscraper was nothing compared to Central’s STAR, as they called it. Central’s facility was the only one to house a genuine Particle Accelerator. Dick had seen it with his own eyes when he was 10 years old, he remembered pressing his face against the glass wall and staring. Central’s STAR was overwhelming in its entirety even now, when he was a fully grown adult. Not underwhelming, not even just whelming, absolutely _overwhelming._

After spending a whole five minutes starstruck, standing in the pavilion like a fool, Dick finally had to be bodily dragged inside by an exasperated Wally. Dick laughed and let himself be dragged, barraged with fond memories of the many times he had ran through these very halls with Wally. Even though they had lived thousands of miles away, Wally was Dick’s only and most precious childhood best friend. He still had all his old calendars, marked with dates for every Gotham Academy sponsored field trip to Central he could squeeze in, until Bruce had given in and just sent him to live with the Allen's every summer.

“ _Come on_ , dude! You’ve been here like a million times! Hurry up, if we eat fast enough, I could even give you a tour of the Accelerator!” Wally hissed and to the redhead’s frustration, Dick ground to halt.

“You have access to the _Particle Accelerator?_ ” Dick gasped, eyes wide and mouth agape. Wally stared up at the ceiling and shook his head.

“Yes, you fanboy. So get a move on!” Wally grouched and tugged at Dick’s hand. Dick was so ecstatic at the prospect he didn’t even notice the way their fingers were intertwined, he practically sprinted towards the Cafeteria, a shocked Wally staggering after him. 

* * *

Wally ate voraciously, practically inhaling his burger and fries. Dick rolled his eyes, the man still ate like an animal. That was one trait even Dick couldn’t find attractive. Dick ate his alfredo penne in a much more civilized fashion, in a hurry or not, he wasn’t going to abandon basic manners. Alfred would be proud of his restraint. Naturally, finishing his lunch much faster, Wally started making conversation, munching on a few stray fries as he did.

“So, why are you actually in Central?” Wally asked curiously and Dick stirred his fork through his pasta uncertainly, trying to think of any way to avoid the question. When he glanced up, he knew Wally saw right through him. He was frowning slightly, mouth set in a pout and his emerald eyes sparked with worry. Dick’s heart warmed a little and he decided it couldn’t hurt to get it off his chest.

“Bruce and I had a fight, a bad one,” Dick sighed and Wally gave him a look of sympathy.

“That bad? That you had to leave?” Wally asked tentatively, eyebrows raised in hopes Dick would share more. While Dick was comfortable venting his feelings to Wally, it didn’t mean he was ready to reveal… _everything_ that had led to him leaving Gotham City.

“I don’t want to get into specifics… but yeah it was our worst fight to date. We just couldn’t come to an understanding. I felt like I was suffocating in that mansion, in that city. So… I just left,” Dick said and Wally winced in response.

“Bruce couldn’t have been happy with that,” Wally said and Dick shrugged.

“He’s furious but I don’t care. I’ve done everything he’s ever asked of me… I deserve some space,” Dick muttered, eyebrows furrowed and looked away, unable to meet Wally’s sympathetic gaze.

“Hey,” Wally said softly and then his palm was covering his hand. Dick looked up, stunned at the sudden contact. Wally looked at him warmly and wrapped his fingers loosely around Dick’s fingers, squeezing lightly to offer comfort. Dick felt his heartbeat speed up and smiled back uncertainly.

“You’re right, you deserve some space. I know how hard you’ve worked to make Bruce proud,” he said and Dick felt lighter, feeling the kind of release that only came with feeling validation. 

“Hell, I’m just glad you picked Central City to escape to!” Wally added brightly and Dick grinned.

“Come on, you know I love Central City. I practically _begged_ Bruce to let me go to school with you here,” Dick said, regretfully breaking Wally’s hold on his hand to rub the back of his head sheepishly, while he used the other to take a bite of his pasta. Wally beamed at the reminder. 

“Oh, I remember! Man, you really couldn’t get enough of me, huh?” Wally snickered and then winked at him. Dick’s felt a flutter in his stomach and then rolled his eyes, trying to hide from Wally how true his words actually were. Wally had no idea how desperate Dick had been to get closer to him. Unfortunately, they were always a few cities apart and life had to move on.

Dick had kept in contact for whole 6 years, texts, emails, Skype calls every weekend, summers with the Allens… It was only when he hit 16 and found himself missing the redhead every waking second of the day, feeling an almost physical ache at being apart that he realised he was in love with Wally West. He’d tried to deny it, started dating girls at Gotham and inadvertently built up a Playboy image… but every time he saw a text from Wally he’d light up in a way no girlfriend made him feel.

It started to become so unbearable for him to apart from Wally that Dick stopped contacting him. They went from weekend Skypes to emails every month… then every three months… then a Happy New Year e-card. Eventually, it became the rare“ _This reminded me of you!”_ text. Until finally, it stopped altogether. It had hurt to sever that tie, but Dick was just a teenager and he was so scared. Scared of coming out, scared of Wally finding out, scared of _Bruce_ finding out. He had dived into his studies, spent summers shadowing Bruce at Wayne Corp, studied BBA at Gotham U like Bruce had wanted but of course, his heart wasn’t in it. His heart had always lay with his acrobatic roots and Wally West. 

The only thing Dick truly missed from Gotham was Barbara… but that was another story. Swimming in guilt, Dick hadn’t realized he’d totally zoned out of the conversation. Wally snapping his fingers finally brought him to startled attention.

“Earth to Dick! Where did you go?” Wally asked in amusement. His smile waned when Dick remained quiet.

“I’m sorry,” Dick blurted and chewed his lip anxiously. Wally stared at him in confusion.

“For what?” he asked and Dick met his eyes guiltily.

“For losing touch with you. All those years ago, I just stopped texting… I’m sorry Wally. You didn’t deserve that, you were my best friend,” Dick choked and Wally’s eyes softened. He slapped Dick’s hand and rolled his eyes.

“Dude, don’t even. We were in _high school_ by then and we were both crazy busy! Just because we stopped calling like every week doesn’t mean we aren’t still the best of buds!” Wally argued and Dick stared at him in astonishment. He didn’t know _what_ he’d done to deserve Wally West.

“Now come on, I have about 15 minutes left of my lunch break and I just _have_ to show you the Accelerator. They made some _sweeeet_ upgrades while you were gone!” Wally gushed and got up, dragging Dick by the hand once again. Heart beating a familiar rhythm in his chest, Dick smiled softly and tried not to think about how hard it was going to be to ignore the fact that he still had feelings for Wally West. 


	8. Paradise

Dick had arrived on a Monday and since then he had spent nearly every waking moment with Wally for the past week. True to form, Roy’s odd hours generally kept him from bumping into the man, so Dick had uninterrupted, one-on-one time with his best friend. Simply put, it was paradise.

It was like Dick was 13 years old again and spending summers at the Allen’s, waking up, brushing his teeth and running out the door to the house next door, having breakfast with Wally and then spending all day together until Uncle Barry physically carried a sleepy Dick from the West’s house over to their own. He remembered Aunt Iris’ fond exasperation of Dick hardly ever staying put long enough to eat a meal at the Allen’s. It had gotten to the point that 3 days of the week, Aunt Iris and her sister cooked together for a joint family dinner. 

Dick found himself smiling fondly at the memories, sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, but the mood soured when he checked the time to see it was only 11 AM. Roy was asleep in his room, which Dick quite frankly counted as a small mercy, but he was tired of spending his days watching day time TV on low volume or checking his twitter feed. Dick frowned when he realised his days revolved around Wally. Wake up, have breakfast with Wally, wait till Wally picked him up for lunch, wait till Wally got off work, dinner with Wally, sleeping with Wally in his bed, and talking until one of them fell asleep. Rinse, repeat.

Dick had always had a drive to be doing something, _anything_ , and despite four blissful days of reliving the best parts of his childhood, the lack of activity was taking its toll on him.

Yesterday, he had almost been tempted to wake Roy up, just for some company, even angry, yelling, intense company. He shuddered; he was glad he had not succumbed to his weakest moment. He checked the time on his phone again, only to see _11:05 AM_. Dick groaned and flung his head back on the couch. He stared at the ceiling and considered waking up Roy. Would the man _really_ kick him out for that? Roy’s favorite past time when they bumped into each other was to rile Dick up. _Hell, maybe he’ll find it enjoyable._

While he mused over the pros and cons of waking up Roy, pro being ending his frustrating boredom, con being homelessness. Fortunately for him, the universe seemed to hear his prayers. A _ping!_ notification broke the silence and he looked down to see a notification on his phone, an unread email from Dinah Lance. Dick perked up, he had finally received a reply from _Tigress Gym_ , steeling his nerves for any bad news, he tapped open the notification.

> _Dear Mr. Grayson,_
> 
> _It’s Dinah Lance, we met at the gym earlier this week. Thank you for sending me your CV. My colleagues were very impressed with your level of gymnastic experience!_
> 
> _I would like to schedule an official interview, where you will be meeting the rest of our instructors. We at Tigress Gyms value cooperative and friendly work relationships. As such, I would like you to meet the rest of the team._
> 
> _Please reply with a confirmation and a time slot that’s convenient for you. I hope to see you soon!_
> 
> _Best regards,_
> 
> _Dinah Lance_

Dick felt his mouth turn up into a grin. He honestly hadn’t expected a reply from the gym, not with how his last meeting with Dinah went. He quickly shot off a reply that he would be free Monday morning. Roy shuffled into the living room just in time to catch Dick pumping a fist in the air because the universe clearly felt it had been too magnanimous just minutes earlier.

Roy raised an eyebrow, then sauntered over to his armchair with a mug of coffee in hand. Dick grimaced sheepishly. Roy leaned back in his chair and took a sip, his curious eyes still trained on Dick over the rim of his cup. Dick waited patiently for the inevitable teasing, or mocking or jeering.

“Good news?” Roy asked, olive green eyes sparking with amusement.

“You could say that,” Dick replied cryptically. Roy scrutinised him, lip of the mug resting against his lip then seemed to let it go. He kept drinking his coffee leisurely.

Dick didn't want to say he had gotten a job, only to be rejected at his interview. It was best Roy didn’t know until his position was certain, especially since the man might think of it as a cue to ‘encourage’ Dick to find his own place. Roy was still looking at him and Dick felt a frisson of discomfort. Roy was always _looking_ at him. Dick didn’t understand if that was just how Roy was, or if it some special treatment reserved for Dick himself.

Dick’s phone suddenly chimed with another message. _Has Dinah replied already?_ He thought with surprise. He unlocked his phone to a succession of texts from Wally.

> W: hey i can’t pick you up for lunch today
> 
> W: so sorry dude! we’re always swamped on fridays
> 
> W: i’m gonna have to grab a sandwich and work through my lunch
> 
> W: ;( ;( ;(

Dick’s face fell, his good mood fading. Of course, he hadn’t expected Wally to always be able to make time for him, but… it was still disappointing. He bit back a sigh, still wary of being observed by a lounging Roy, and typed a quick reply.

> D: no worries 
> 
> D: work hard!

Wally sent a row of crying emojis and gif of a panda flinging a computer off a desk. Dick smiled faintly and shook his head. Now this begged the question of what he would be doing for lunch… He put his phone down and glanced up at Roy, who was predictably already looking at him. Likely having scrutinised his every expression, Roy tilted his head and smirked a little.

“ _Bad_ news?” he drawled and Dick suppressed a frown. Almost without realising, he brought his knees up from where they were folded and hugged them in a defensive posture.

“Lunch plans fell through,” Dick sighed and rested his chin on his knees. Roy’s smirk widened, but his dark eyes remained unreadable. In the ensuing silence, Dick couldn’t help but observe his relaxed posture, lounging unselfconsciously on the armchair, feet up on the coffee table and now empty coffee mug hanging lazily from a finger.

Roy exuded a level of confidence and almost aggressive self-assurance, a quality that Dick secretly admired about him. It didn’t help that the man was… well, incredibly attractive. Dick surreptitiously glanced at Roy, a ratty T-shirt stretched across his wide shoulders, hugging his lean torso. Strong thighs peeked out from black boxer briefs that hugged him tightly and Dick slid his eyes away quickly. While Roy wasn't flaunting anything, he wasn't hiding himself away in the slightest. Dick wasn’t exactly an insecure person, he was comfortable in his skin, yet… there was some unreadable quality about Roy that made Dick constantly feel on edge.

“Grab a bite with me, then,” Roy said flippantly. Dick snapped out of his musings and his eyes widened. He paused, unsure how to politely let Roy down. He wasn’t sure if lunch with Roy would be a meal or an interrogation. Unfortunately, Roy didn’t leave any room for argument.

“Get dressed,” Roy said, put his mug on the coffee table with a unceremonious _clunk_ and got to his feet.. Dick stared at him, mouth agape and at a loss for words. Roy yawned and stretched, his shirt riding up to reveal a row of tight abdominal muscles that made Dick’s mouth go dry. He nonchalantly walked towards his bedroom without sparing a glance towards a flabbergasted Dick. 

_Lunch with Roy then.._ It’s not like he had a choice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently found out Nightwing’s ass in the comics has its own fandom...
> 
> I'm here for it.


	9. Richie & Roy

Roy locked the door to the apartment and gestured for Dick to follow him with a tilt of his head. Dick had no idea where Roy was taking him, so he’d decided to just dress casually, going with a navy-blue T shirt and slim fit jeans. Roy had looked him head to toe once, a strange quirk to his lips, before giving a light shrug. Dick wasn’t sure if he was underdressed, overdressed or just plain dressed, but Roy was wearing a well-worn red and black hoodie over some washed out jeans, so he couldn’t be that far off the mark. 

They descended the stairs in silence, which quite frankly Dick was not used to, which probably explained the anxious feeling in his chest. When he was with Wally, every silent moment was full of the redhead’s rambling stories and gesticulations. Dick smiled fondly, Wally had never been able to sit still or keep his mouth shut for longer than a minute. He followed a step behind Roy as the man walked out the apartment building and ambled down the street with his hands in his pockets. 

Should he walk next to Roy? Follow a ways behind? Walk so close they’d be brushing shoulders? Bound up and slip a hand into his, like he did with Wally? Dick snorted under his breath. _Yeah, that would surely go over well._ He thought, but spent a minute eyeing Roy’s broad palms anyway. Dick settled for catching up to Roy and walking next to him with a sizeable but hopefully not too noticeable gap between them, glancing at the bored looking man curiously every few minutes. They walked around a corner, going the opposite direction to the gym and STAR, Dick noted, and kept on going down the street until Roy suddenly stopped in front of a diner. 

“Come on then,” Roy said and gestured to the door with a nod, pushing it open with a shoulder, hands still firmly in his pockets. Dick raised an eyebrow but followed him in. The restaurant’s décor was typical of an American Diner, bright red booths, black and white tile and a long counter lined with stools by the bar. The diner wasn’t that busy, with only a few patrons sitting in booths and two at the bar stools. Dick didn’t see any waitresses milling around, and when Roy walked up to the counter and gazed up at the menu pinned on the wall, Dick figured they ordered at the counter like a fast food joint. Unusual for a diner, but for a restaurant that wasn’t that busy it was likely understaffed. 

Dick followed Roy and stood next to him, gazing curiously at the menu. He stiffened when Roy flung a friendly arm around his shoulders, slapping a palm on his shoulder. Dick hadn’t pegged Roy as a tactile person… Roy seemed to notice his tense posture and the man side-eyed him, green eyes boring into his. Dick looked away awkwardly and Roy snorted.

“Am I in your personal space, princess?” he teased and Dick sighed explosively. Roy was obviously making a dig at Dick leaving almost an arm’s length between them while walking on the street. It was probably obvious to Roy from his interactions with Wally that Dick was equally as tactile a person as Wally, if not more. Dick couldn’t help it, he was wary around Roy and it was clear Roy knew it.

 _Maybe this is him trying to make me feel more comfortable?_ Dick thought, glancing at Roy consideringly. He rolled his eyes and relaxed his posture, leaning into the arm around his shoulders. Dick could feel Roy’s body heat seeping through his T shirt, his arm feeling like a brand across his back. Dick flushed a little and tried not to lean back too much, to the point it wasn’t considered a friendly touch anymore. 

“Come on, time to order,” Roy said and removed his arm, striding forwards towards the bartender. Dick startled, he hadn’t even been looking at the menu. He quickly scanned it and bit his lip at the choices. He wasn’t too fond of fast food, Alfred had raised him on healthy, home-cooked meals, and he wasn’t particularly inclined towards burgers and pizzas anyway. He picked the healthiest option he could see and walked quickly to catch up to Roy.

“You know my usual,” Roy said to the bartender, who was grinning at him while cleaning a glass. Seemed like this was a regular haunt for Roy. Roy shot him a glance and nudged him forward.

“I’ll have the Chicken Caesar Salad if that’s alright,” Dick said politely and Roy gave him a skeptical look. The bartender just raised an eyebrow and nodded amenably, he made a shooing motion towards the booths when Roy said he’d come pick up the orders when they were done. Dick had a feeling the plates would be delivered to them personally.

Roy slid into a booth by the window and Dick took his seat across from him. The faux leather was chipping in areas people clearly picked at, but the booth was still comfortable enough. Roy put his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers. Amused olive green eyes met curious azure blue ones over the table and there was a moment of companionable silence.

“A salad, really?” Roy snorted and broke the moment. Dick rolled his eyes.

“I’m used to home-cooked food,” Dick said and Roy’s lips quirked into a teasing smile.

“Mhhh, personal chef?” Roy mocked, raising his eyebrows. Dick tried not to be offended, there was a twinkle in Roy’s eye that he recognised from when the man had called him a _Dickie bird with talons_ a few days ago. It was clear Roy was just trying to rile him up.

“Yes, and a strict training regimen,” Dick said pointedly and Roy’s eyes sparked with curiosity. He stared at Dick, waiting patiently for an answer. Where Wally liked to fire an incessant barrage of inquisitive questions at him, Roy was a silent listener who seemed to just expect to be given the answer eventually.

“Gymnast, since I was nine,” Dick explained. Roy pursed his lips and widened his eyes, clearly impressed. Dick hid a small smile, ducking his head a little shyly at the unspoken praise. Right then, a plate of cheeseburgers and fries was deposited on their table, along with a bowl of salad. Roy gave the grinning bartender a long-suffering look and muttered a thanks. The man slapped Roy on the back and left.

Roy gave his salad an amused look, then grabbed his burger and dug in. Dick took that as his cue to start eating, he forked some chicken and lettuce and took a bite. His eyes widened at the surprisingly fresh taste. He hadn’t been expecting fresh lettuce and perfectly cooked chicken breast from a diner, where salad was likely never ordered. The dressing on the salad wasn’t too light or too overbearing and Dick found himself enjoying the salad more than he’d initially expected to. 

“Good, isn’t it?” Roy said, mouth still half full of cheeseburger. Dick winced a little, speaking with his mouth full was clearly a habit Roy shared with Wally. He finished his bite then nodded, giving Roy a tentative smile.

“I guess this is why you’re a regular?” Dick said and Roy nodded in reply. They ate in companionable silence, Roy’s eyes focused on his burger rather than trained on Dick for once and Dick found himself truly relaxing. It was only when he had almost finished his salad and Roy was munching on his last few fries that Dick felt he was relaxed enough in Roy’s presence to try and strike up conversation.

“So, I don’t actually know your full name,” Dick asked curiously. Roy gave him an unreadable look, clearly debating answering and then seemed to decide it was information he would willingly exchange. 

“Roy Harper,” he said nonchalantly, but there was a tightness around his eyes that Dick was starting to identify as discomfort. Dick felt a niggling feeling, like he had heard that name before… Then, he realised.

“Roy Harper Queen?” Dick asked incredulously and Roy sighed loudly, staring up at the ceiling. Dick stared at his Adam’s apple, waiting for the man to meet his eyes. Roy Harper Queen, son of billionaire Oliver Queen, really had the gall to be teasing _him_ about being a rich boy for the past week.

“Yes, Roy Harper _Queen_ ,” Roy said through grit teeth, placing emphasis on the last name. Dick raised an eyebrow at him and stared at him. Roy stared back, almost pouting. Dick felt his mouth begin to pull up in a grin. They stared at each other silently, Roy petulantly and Dick almost delightedly, waiting for the man to break.

“I go by _Harper_ , okay!” Roy exclaimed, a slight Star City accent creeping into his voice that made Dick’s grin widen even more. 

“Hmm, not much of a socialite?” Dick teased. Roy chortled and popped a fry in his mouth.

“Yeah, right,” he scoffed mid-chew and yeah, definitely not socialite material. Dick pushed his empty bowl to the side and rested an elbow on the table. He set his chin on his palm and grinned widely at Roy, who was for once, _avoiding_ his gaze. Dick waited patiently, grinning ear to ear until Roy finally met his eyes with a groan of annoyance.

“Yeah yeah, I know. Spent a week ribbing you about being Wayne’s kid and here I am, son of Oliver Queen,” Roy grumbled, sounding a little too bitter to be joking. Dick tilted his head and looked at him appraisingly.

“That bad?” Dick mused. Roy’s eyes snapped to his, steely and serious.

“I’m not about that life,” Roy grunted and pushed his empty plate to the side. He leaned back in his booth, hands behind his head and stared at Dick challengingly. Dick raised his hands in the air in surrender before the intensity of Roy’s gaze became truly unbearable.

“Hey, I get it. I came here for a reason,” Dick said lightly. Some of the fire in Roy’s glare dimmed and the man’s mouth quirked up in some semblance of a smile.

“Charity galas got too overbearing?” Roy asked wryly. Dick huffed a laugh.

“No, but they are definitely awful. Can’t imagine you at one of those,” Dick said, raising an eyebrow. Roy scoffed.

“Sat in a corner, tried to look as unapproachable as possible,” Roy replied and Dick couldn’t help but laugh. Genuine laughter bubbled out him, imagining a younger Roy sitting petulantly in a chair, with his arms crossed, glaring intensely at all passerby who dared approach him. 

“Oh, I forgot, I’m talking to the perfect social butterfly, Richie Grayson,” Roy said mockingly, but when Dick saw his softly squinting eyes he realised it was with an edge of fondness. Dick grinned charmingly and shrugged.

“Guilty,” he said brightly, aiming that famous charisma directly at the redhead across from him. Roy straightened a little, looking so discombobulated at Dick turning on the charm that Dick burst into peals of laughter, slapping the table as tears pricked at his eyes.

“Jesus, you can just turn that on and off, can’t you? Flirted with everything that moved too I bet,” Roy said almost jealously, rolling his eyes. Dick gave him a weird look and decided to let the strange comment go. 

“Oh come on, it’s just a persona. Made those galas bearable,” Dick said, flapping a hand casually and shrugging. 

“ _Nothing_ made those galas bearable,” Roy said darkly, eyes glittering with that unidentifiable edge that Dick still hadn’t quite figured out. Dick tensed a little, feeling the atmosphere noticeably change. His smile faltered a little and he straightened his posture, looking at Roy warily. The redhead seemed to brood a few seconds more before he got up.

“Come on, my shift starts soon so I got to leave for work,” he said and then they walked towards the counter. Roy slapped a few bills on the counter without waiting for Dick, and Dick sputtered.

“I can pay for myself!” Dick snapped and Roy slapped an arm around his shoulder, tugging Dick into his body. Roy's torso was a line of heat against Dick and Dick felt himself lean into the man's body almost subconsciously.

“My treat, rich boy,” he said airily and Dick side-eyed him suspiciously. One minute he was was brooding, angry, distrustful Roy and the next, he was friendly, arm around your shoulders Roy. The sharp vacillation between moods made Dick feel like he was constantly walking on thin ice with the redhead.

“I’ll pay you back,” Dick grumbled. Roy just chuckled and manhandled him out of the door, hands on both his shoulders.

“You remember how to walk back? I usually head straight to work from here,” Roy asked. Dick smiled a little, it was just a block away. Roy asking him if he needed to be _walked_ back was adorably considerate of him.

“It’s less than a block away, I’ll survive,” Dick said and Roy gave him a two fingered salute, before sauntering away into an alley behind the diner. Curious, he dithered where he was for a few minutes, waiting. Dick's unvoiced question was answered a few minutes later when Roy peeled out of the alley on a red motorbike. Dick’s eyebrows flew to his hairline.

“Owners a friend, keeps this baby safe for me,” Roy said with a rakish grin, patting the side of his bike, a black helmet held under his bicep. Dick smiled back a little awkwardly, trying not to openly ogle the way Roy’s body looked, straddling that motorcycle like it was a part of him. Roy put on his helmet and gave him a wave. Dick waved back and watched Roy’s retreating back as he peeled away with a loud rumble of this bike. Dick’s heart was beating fast and his cheeks felt hot to the touch.

He’d clearly misjudged Roy’s initial distrust as aggression. Dick had actually enjoyed lunch with Roy against all odds. The easy way the redhead threw an arm around his shoulders, despite having only met him a week ago, the good-natured teasing, with just a hint of a fiery challenge in his gaze. The way his eyes never left Dick’s, like Dick always had Roy’s one hundred percent attention. God, the way the heat of his body still left a phantom feeling, like his arm had left an imprint on Dick’s back and shoulders. That boyish grin before he put on his helmet and drove away on his motorcycle... Dick shuddered.

Roy was going to be a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am unhealthily obsessed with Roy Harper and I need a support group for my addiction. Pls help.


	10. Hello, Megan!

Dick got up bright and early on Monday, jittering with nerves and exhilaration. The weekend had been relaxing, he and Wally had spent it gaming and lazing around like old times. Curiously, Roy was nowhere to be seen. When Dick had asked after him, Wally simply shrugged and popped another handful of Cheez Its in his mouth. Before Dick could dig further, Wally had distracted him with a proclamation that he was going to kick his ass at Mortal Kombat and immediately, all was forgotten in the throes of competition.

Wary of being too optimistic, Dick still hadn’t mentioned his interview to either redhead. Wally had been curious why Dick was up earlier than him and Dick just mumbled something about going for a jog. Thankfully, Wally was too busy rushing his morning routine of shower, coffee, and toast-on-the-go to bother properly interrogating him. The redhead had just given him an eerily calculating look, emerald green eyes so intense that it immediately reminded Dick of Roy, then shrugged and left with a “Gotta go!” around his mouth of toast, bread crumbs exploding out of his mouth obnoxiously as he did. 

Dick checked his outfit in the mirror one more time and wondered if business casual was the right choice. He was wearing grey slacks with a modest pale blue button-down. He had undone the top button to give the illusion that he was carefree and confident, when really he had been so full of nerves he’d got up at 6 am to hunt for Wally and Roy’s iron to meticulously iron out all the creases in his pants and shirt. He’d almost dug out a suit jacket from his luggage before he realised he was going to an interview at a _gym_ not Wayne Enterprises.

 _Should I wear my workout clothes again?_ Dinah had said it was an _interview_ … Dick bit his lip indecisively, then stuffed his workout clothes into a gym bag he saw shoved in back of Wally’s closet. It never hurt to be prepared, Alfred had drilled that into his mind at a remarkably young age. Spinning one last time in the mirror to check for any creases, Dick sighed and then left the apartment before he changed his outfit for the _third_ time that morning.

Dinah hadn’t specified a time; she’d simply said before 11 AM because that’s when instructors with afternoon classes to teach took an early lunch. Dick checked his wristwatch, it was only 8:30 AM. He couldn’t bring himself to putter about the apartment any longer though, and he wasn’t too keen on facing Roy. With Dick’s luck, today would be the day Roy would wake up before noon. Dick could already imagine the redhead strip-searching him with his eyes alone… along with interrogating him relentlessly about his choice of dress. Dick sighed. _Yeah, it’s not worth it._ He was already full of nerves, Roy playfully pushing his buttons would probably make him _combust._

He walked out the apartment, making sure to grab the extra set of keys Wally left him and headed in the direction of _Tigress Gym_. Hopefully, the walk would clear his head a bit and lower his nerves. He felt like he was strung so tightly he would spring apart like a rubber band stretched too far, and he didn’t even have time to work out the nerves with some morning exercise. A long walk will have to do.

* * *

Dick had no sooner walked through the gym before being accosted by a redheaded Caucasian woman. She had a cute, short bob haircut and freckles dotting her naturally tanned skin. Her face was lit up with a wide smile, her hazel brown eyes squinting with the force of her delight. Dick could tell she was exuberant by nature. He tried not to let his immediate burst of nerves show and instead called upon years of social conditioning by Bruce Wayne’s social etiquette tutors to smile at her politely and calmly. Silently, he wondered if he was just a magnet for redheads.

“Hi! You must be Richard! Dinah told us all about you. Wow, you’re kind of early! Most of us are still doing warm-ups and changing, but you can hang out with me till they’re ready to meet you!” she rambled excitedly, barely taking a moment to breath. Dick opened his mouth to reply but stopped short when he couldn’t spot a name tag. The woman seemed to realise his hesitance immediately and slapped her forehead in embarrassment.

“ _Hello_ , Megan! I didn’t even tell you my name! Oh,” she giggled, “I just said it. My name’s Megan Morse, but you can just call me Megan! I teach classes on Meditation and Mindfulness, but otherwise I’m also the receptionist at Tigress Gym!” Dick smiled, her enthusiasm was contagious, and he found himself enjoying her unique, bubbly sense of humor. 

“Hi Megan, it’s great to meet you. I’m Richard Grayson, but you already knew that,” Dick said charmingly and Megan’s eyes widened a little. Oh, _hello Richie._ Dick toned his smirk down and looked at her bashfully. He had a habit of adopting his socialite persona with strangers as a defense mechanism, practically on autopilot. He was trying really hard to break the habit, but outside of Wally, his childhood best friend who he was already comfortable being himself with, and now Roy, who took no bullshit, it seemed the habit was harder to break than he initially thought.

“Wow, so you really are _the_ Richard Grayson,” Megan said wonderingly. Dick cringed a little.

“Yep, the one and only,” he joked. He tried not to let his discomfort show but Megan seemed to pick up on it anyhow. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water for a minute and then laughed in embarrassment.

“Sorry! Sorry! I promise I won’t fangirl! I just haven’t met a lot of famous people,” Megan sputtered, throwing her hands up in surrender and Dick couldn’t help but laugh at her genuine mortification.

“It’s okay, I’m used to it but… you can just call me Dick,” he replied and Megan smiled widely. Her entire face lit up when she smiled, like someone pulled the blinds open on a sunny morning. Dick found himself mentally reeling from the sheer genuine emotion people seemed to show in Central City, so unlike the drab social facades in Gotham.

“Okay Dick! Why don’t I give you a tour! Everyone should be here by the time we’re done,” Megan said cheerfully, she tilted her head and gestured for Dick to follow her. Dick followed her obediently as she pointed out the various specialised equipment areas, as well as dropping the names of instructors who managed them. Dick carefully made mental notes of them, trying his best to remember the names for later.

Tigress Gym turned out to be quite a lot bigger than he recalled from his first visit, mostly because he had only visited the open area. Behind the boxing rings and gymnastic mats, there was a studio with treadmills, ellipticals, leg presses, pull down machines and a bench press in a corner of the room. Opposite the room with general gym equipment, there was an enormous dance studio, with mirrored glass walls with rolled up Yoga mats resting against one of the walls. There was also a movable partition that could separate the huge space into two adjoining rooms. Megan explained that this was because it served as a multi-purpose room they used for Meditation, Tai Chi and Yoga instruction. They didn’t actually teach any dance lessons, but they had Zumba and Pilates specials every weekend.

Dick found himself fascinated by the layout and found himself asking inquisitive questions that Megan was only too happy to answer. Turns out the gym was a business venture between the two head instructors, Dinah Lance and Artemis Crock, who had split their life savings into the huge property and practically remade it new from its bare bones. Dick could really see the passion Megan had when talking about her colleagues, and it was clear she looked up to both women. He found himself yearning to feel the same way and be a part of this close-knit family. He startled when he realised this was actually a job he _wanted_ , rather than one he needed simply to pay the bills.

Nearing the end of the tour, Megan showed him the hallway that led to the secluded changing rooms and showers, tucked away behind both studios, as well as a small Administration office that read Dinah Lance on the plaque. Here, they bumped into Dinah herself, who was just walking out of the changing rooms in Tigress uniform. She smiled brightly when she saw Dick and walked quickly through the hallway to catch up.

“Dick! Glad you made it! I see Megan’s given you the full tour already,” She said fondly and strode up to give the cheerful redhead a quick hug, then turned to do the same to him. He tried not to step back on instinct and bent down to return the hug; the slim blond woman was a little shorter than him, but not by the margin Megan was.

“Megan, why don’t you go get changed, and I’ll take Dick to the main area? Artemis and Zee should be out soon,” Dinah said and Megan gave Dick a smile and a quick wave before she went into the changing rooms. Dinah and Dick made some small talk, he was still nervous around the older woman. She was kind and friendly, but she had a natural strength that reminded him of a much sterner Aunt Iris from the time he had convinced Wally on a reckless gallivant around the neighborhood, which may have included some trespassing… 

“Are you ready to meet the rest?” Dinah suddenly asked lightly, flashing him a measuring look. Dick straightened on impulse, noting the sudden change from small talk to interview mode. Based on his first meeting with her, Dick realised Dinah seemed to do this a lot, put him at ease and then strike when he was most relaxed. Thankfully, he was starting to get used to it and replied easily.

“Only been looking forward to it all weekend,” Dick replied with a cheeky smile. Dinah chuckled and shot him an almost maternal look.

“Oh, you’re going to fit right in,” she said fondly. Dick found himself wishing fervently that he did. 


	11. Interviews

“This is Artemis Crock, our Self Defense Instructor, and Co-CEO of _Tigress Gym_ ,” Dinah said as she introduced a tall olive-skinned blonde to him. She had long blonde hair tied in a tight ponytail, grey eyes narrowed in a severe expression on her face. She looked like someone of mixed race, but Dick couldn’t quite place her ethnicity.

“Richard Grayson,” he introduced himself politely, and offered a handshake. Artemis shook his hand with a strong, firm handshake, her expression unchanged. Dick found himself feeling intimidated by her. Artemis looked much younger than her business partner, possibly in her late 20s but whatever experience she lacked she clearly made up for in a tough attitude. As it turned out… Dinah was the Good Cop. Dick reined in his hysterical chuckle, smile fading in face of Artemis’ unwavering stern expression.

“And this is Zatanna Zatara! She’s our Tai Chi instructor, she and Megan joined us about three years ago,” Dinah said warmly, grinning at a dark-haired woman who Dick hadn’t notice walk up next to Artemis.

“Hi!” she said with a friendly smile, offering her hand before Dick could offer his, and he shook it with a half-grin. He could still feel Artemis assessing him, but Zatanna’s sincere friendliness put him at ease. 

“Let’s take this to the dance studio, Megan will join us there,” Dinah said and they walked in tandem to the mirrored studio Dick had been shown earlier. When they walked in, Megan was already there, setting up some chairs that Dick had no idea where she found. She grinned at them and waved them over.

They all took a seat, Dick wisely choosing to sit between Zatanna and Megan. He was sitting across from Dinah and Artemis and the power dynamic was… quite obvious. Mercifully, he was flanked by the two cheerful younger instructors and he could practically _feel_ the supportive energy surrounding him.

“So Richard, I know I said this would be an official interview, but we tend to do things a bit more informally here. It’s really just a chance for all of us to get to know you and evaluate what we both set to gain from you joining _Tigress Gym_ ,” Dinah said placidly but Artemis’ narrowed eyes cut into him like daggers.

“Thanks for having me,” Dick replied politely and Dinah smiled. Artemis gave him a grudging look of respect at his professional response but otherwise said nothing.

“Why don’t you introduce yourself to Artemis, Zatanna and Megan. I’ve already passed on your CV to them and summarised our first meeting, but I’m sure they’d appreciate hearing it from you firsthand,” Dinah said encouragingly. Dick smiled tentatively, making sure to make eye contact with everyone before he spoke. He went to business school, he was raised by Bruce Wayne and _Alfred Pennyworth_ , he knew basic interview etiquette like he knew how to breath. 

“I’m Richard Grayson. I grew up in Gotham City. I’m 21 years old and I just finished a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Gotham University before moving here,” he said. Dinah was listening patiently, while Artemis looked skeptical. It was obvious she was wondering why a billionaire’s son who had a BBA wanted to be a _Yoga_ instructor. Dick was quick to clarify.

“I know, you’re probably wondering why I would apply for the position of Yoga instructor after completing a BBA. It’s because I’ve always been passionate about Gymnastics. I know I don’t have any teaching experience, or work experience as a Yoga instructor, but I’ve been practicing Gymnastics since the age of 9,” Dick said confidently and he heard Megan let out an impressed noise. Artemis looked cautiously interested and he stared at her with his chin up and continued.

“I was in the Tumbling and Gymnastics teams at Gotham Academy. I was reigning champ of Gotham City Under-19 Gymnastics for 2 years and second runner up for USA National Gymnastics Championship,” he finished with pride, trying not to be boastful but still proud of his accomplishments. Artemis looked somewhat impressed, while Zatanna and Megan were openly admiring his talents with a few short compliments. Before he could bask too long, Artemis cleared her throat.

“No YTT certification?” she asked, voice deceptively light and carefree. Dick faltered, but surprisingly, instead of taking her Co-CEO’s side, Dinah came to his rescue.

“He’s passionate. Not all of our instructors are certified teachers, Megan didn’t come here with a degree or certification,” Dinah said mildly and Artemis gave her an almost affronted look.

“That’s true!” Megan confirmed, cheerfully oblivious to the tension between her two head instructors. Zatanna seemed more cautious, Dick could see her looking cautiously at the two blondes, who seemed to be having a telepathic conversation with their eyes alone.

“I can work towards a YTT certification in my off hours,” Dick ventured cautiously. Dinah waved a hand at him, breaking her stare-down with Artemis.

“As long as our members and students are comfortable, there’s no need,” she said resolutely. Artemis looked distinctly dissatisfied. 

“That is, _if_ they are comfortable,” Artemis said in a clear challenge to Dinah’s authority. Dinah was unfazed, almost as if she was used to this. Dick shifted in his chair, feeling discomfited.

“So, gay huh? The string of women from years of TMZ articles tells a different story,” Artemis said accusingly. Dick straightened immediately. There was a strained silence in the room. Artemis’ gaze was challenging, her words brash where Dinah was stern but diplomatic. Her gruff exterior and immediate distrust reminded him a little of Roy. Dick sighed.

“Imagine the hit Bruce Wayne’s many charities would take if his only son came out as a gay man. In Gotham, all the money comes from bigoted politicians,” Dick replied calmly. He heard a sad noise from Megan, and in his peripheral vision, he noted Zatanna turned to face him sharply. He couldn’t see her facial expression without breaking eye contact with Artemis, but he could guess at what it was. He saw something in Artemis’ eyes soften and there was a hint of grudging respect for his bold honestly in the quirk of her lips. 

“You’ll always be welcome here,” she said, tone still guarded but eyes displaying a warmth he hadn’t expected from her. Dick smiled, less like Roy than he thought.

“Although, that doesn’t mean we won’t be evaluating other candidates,” she added quickly, glancing at Dinah.

“Yes, I already made it clear to Richard that it is still likely a more qualified candidate will be chosen,” Dinah said patiently. Dick nodded in understanding, remembering the conversation from their first meeting.

“Well, that will be all. I think we all have quite a good gauge of Mr. Grayson, right?” she said, looking at Zatanna and Megan. They both smiled and nodded. Dick stood up and shook everyone’s hand, making sure to return Artemis’ strong handshake with a cool but respectful gaze.

“We’ll reach out to you if you make the cut,” Artemis said professionally and Dinah hummed an affirmative, offering him a smile.

“You can still come here and use the gym though!” Megan added quickly, eyes wide. Dick grinned and nodded.

“Yeah, definitely! Know any Tai Chi?” Zatanna asked in a friendly tone. Dick smiled and made light conversation with Zatanna and Megan as he walked towards the exit. He noticed that Dinah and Artemis had lingered behind in the room, but their personal differences weren’t really his business, so he was content in talking to the two younger instructors.

“Hope we’ll be seeing you soon?” Megan asked joyfully, with a hopeful expression when they reached the doors.

“Yeah, I live just around the block. We can totally hang out if you want,” Dick said, glancing from Megan to Zatanna and back optimistically. It’d be nice to hang out with someone other than Wally all the time, especially when Wally spent most of his weekdays at STAR Labs. Megan and Zatanna smiled at him and nodded.

“Definitely!” they chorused. Zatanna laughed at the coincidence and nudged Megan with her hip, who giggled and waved as Dick left through the double doors. Dick found himself desperately wishing he’d won Artemis over, she seemed to be the only one standing in the way of Dick and what was starting to feel like his dream job.


	12. Daydreams

Dick spent a whole week moping around the apartment in a funk. He replayed the interview in his mind twenty different times, overthinking every word he’d said. He got his hopes up at every notification from his phone, then proceeded to feel crashing disappointment every time it was just some dumb tweet from his Twitter feed. Wally was starting to get extremely impatient with Dick’s evasive replies and Roy was just… absent.

It was like the redhead had took off on his motorcycle and then literally never come back. Wally seemed totally uncaring of Roy’s absence, as if this was just something that happened all the time and Dick found himself remembering how Wally had said Roy had a “weird schedule.” Dick, to his horror, had actually found himself pouting about it while lying upside down on the couch on a Wednesday afternoon, craving Roy’s presence. He’d sat up horrified, disgusted with himself, feeling like an incorrigible attention whore, as Barbara had once called him. 

By the time it was Thursday, it was clear that Wally was absolutely fed up with him. Dick’s inattention at their lunches and unfocused gaming sessions were really getting to his best friend. Dick felt guilty, he did, but Bruce Wayne had raised an incurable perfectionist, and failure was not something Dick could stand. Lost in his thoughts again, Dick hadn’t noticed Wally trying to get his attention across the table.

“Dude, _what_ is up with you? You’ve been depressed for like a week!” Wally exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, eyes flashing with anger. Dick startled and dropped his fork on the tabletop. He then realised his salad was almost untouched, contrasting sharply with Wally’s empty plate.

“It’s nothing…” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head and refusing to meet Wally’s gaze. Wally groaned so loudly in his frustration that people from tables nearby began glancing at them.

“It’s so not nothing. You’re doing the thing. That thing you did every time someone else won the Science Fair, or I beat you in a race, or …” Wally floundered, lost for more examples, then bulldozed over it, “The thing! You’re doing the thing you do,” he finished, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Dick couldn’t help it. He grinned at Wally, infinitely amused and that just made the redhead even more frustrated.

“ _Diiiick_ ,” he groaned and yeah, people were definitely eavesdropping now. _Curse my terrible nickname,_ Dick thought and then rolled his eyes at Wally.

“I guess I just miss Gotham okay. I have nothing to do, you know what I get like when I have nothing to do,” Dick sighed. Wally looked at him with narrowed eyes, clearly onto the fact that Dick wasn’t revealing the whole truth. Dick stared him down, unwilling to back down in face of Wally’s uncanny… best friend instincts. Wally’s suspicious gaze didn’t wane but he seemed to drop it with a sigh.

“Yeah… I’m sorry dude. This internship’s pretty much kicking my ass. I’m really sorry I can’t spend more time with you,” Wally said sadly and Dick had felt such a huge stab of guilt.

“Shut up! It’s not like you knew I was coming to Central. Get back to the grind, lunch break’s over!” Dick scolded him with a slap to the back of Wally’s head. Wally whined in annoyance then grumbled about bossy little rich boys before shuffling off towards the car park with Dick in tow, to drop him back at the apartment and then get back to work.

And that… had been yesterday. It was now Friday, Wally’s busiest day of the week, and Dick was lying in bed, staring listlessly at the ceiling after an unsatisfying PB&J sandwich he’d made himself for lunch. He found himself daydreaming, because like any other red-blooded male in his 20s, that’s what he did when he had nothing but time on his hands.

He found himself thinking about Wally, because he had spent most of his formative teenage years daydreaming about the redhead and he wasn’t about to stop now. Wally had really filled out over the years. Dick sighed a little, feeling hot under the collar. Unfortunately for Dick’s libido, he was still sharing a bed with the redhead every night, who took up a lot of room. Lying on that very bed now, he couldn’t help but think about all the times he’d woken up wrapped in Wally’s arms.

Wally wasn’t the lean, beanpole teenager he remembered. Now, he was 6 feet tall, a hulking mass that covered over half the bed. Wally slept plastered to Dick’s back, an arm and a leg flung over him. Dick fit so snugly against him, Wally’s broad shoulders were just big enough that Dick was the perfect little spoon. Dick shivered, thinking about how he could feel every inhale and exhale as the man breathed in his sleep, could feel his pectoral muscles in striking definition against his back, even through both their night shirts.

Dick shifted on the bed restlessly, imagining one day working up the nerve to put his hand on Wally’s thigh, grip it tightly as he ground back against the crotch pressed to his lower back. Wally would groan in his sleep, probably rub back instinctively. He’d press closer, grind his cock into Dick’s ass. Dick moaned a little, feeling sparks of arousal bring his cock to half-mast. Dick’s hand drifted to the waistband of his sweats, itching to rub one out, but he bit his lip when he remembered he was lying in _Wally_ ’s bed, fantasising about the redhead.

Dick groaned and turned sideways, pressing his face into the pillow. Which turned out to be the worst possible move because it smelled exactly like Wally and sent a rush of liquid heat down his spine. Dick gasped and closed his eyes, pressing his open mouth to the pillow, dampening the fabric with his breath and feeling sweat build on his brow. His hand was rubbing his crotch shamelessly now, all caution thrown to the wind as his daydream got more intense.

Wally would wake up, press his mouth to Dick’s ear and let his big hand drift down to grip Dick’s morning wood. He’d rub him sleepily, rutting against his ass as he did, until Dick spilled with a moan. Wally would wake up properly then, red hair sticking to his forehead, and turn Dick, getting on top of him and pressing him into the bed with his full body weight. It’d be blisteringly hot between them, and Wally’s green eyes would stare into his, intense, as he rubbed himself between Dick’s thighs, pressing damp kisses to the corner of his lips.

Dick felt his heartbeat ratchet and he moaned, kicking his legs out, impatient for release. He was stripping his cock in earnest now, curled on his side. Suddenly, the emerald green eyes in his daydream turned darker, turning a shade deeper into olive. Dick’s eyes flew open and his hips jerked as Wally seamlessly melted into Roy. The Roy in his fantasy smirked at him, eyes glinting dangerously and tugged his briefs down his hips. Dick’s hand sped up, he panted heavily, flinging himself onto his back and pumping his hips up wildly.

Roy would be rough where Wally was sleepy and gentle. He’d bite at Dick’s neck, nipping down to his chest, ripping his shirt off to bite viciously at a nipple. Dick _whined_ , imagining the sensation of teeth around his nipple. Roy would tease him, he’d push all his buttons, suck at his sensitive navel with his full lips. Roy would press finger-shaped bruises into his hips as he fucked Dick’s thighs until they were red-raw and chafed. Dick came into his hand with a shout, and hoped to God no one had come home in the mean time.

He panted for breath, staring wide-eyed up at the ceiling, ears straining for any noise. He finally relaxed when no sounds came. _I’m alone_. He thought and sighed with relief. He stared at his sticky hand in distaste and got up to go wash it off in the bathroom. He ambled back into the bedroom, in a post-masturbation relaxed haze, then reality came crashing back when he looked at the rumpled sheets of Wally’s bed. Dick swore, and felt his face flame red. He’d masturbated in _Wally’s_ bed. He’d fantasised about both Wally _and_ Roy. He moaned pitifully, putting his face in his hands.

 _I am so, so screwed._ He thought and then scrambled to change Wally’s bedsheets and air out the bedroom before the redhead got back from work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole dang chapter came out of left field. Hope y'all enjoyed horny lil Dickie Grayson. ;)


	13. Dichotomy

When Wally comes back from work, Dick has a hard time looking him in the eye. Exhausted from a grueling workday, Wally doesn’t seem to notice. Immediately after coming through the door, the redhead collapses on the couch, limbs askew like a starfish and eyes falling closed. Dick leans on the back of the couch and smiles down at the tired redhead fondly.

Red eyelashes rest on pale, lightly freckled cheeks and Dick’s eyes track the spattering of freckles to the cluster dusted over the bridge of Wally’s nose. His eyes follow the slope of his nose down to Wally’s relaxed mouth and for a moment, Dick wants to lean down and press his lips to Wally’s, wants to trail a thumb along the line of Wally’s jaw and whisper a “ _Welcome home”_ in his ear, in an imitation of the domesticity he craves.

Dick absently thinks back to his fantasy earlier in the day, remembers imagining gentle, sleepy morning sex with Wally, how pure and domestic it was in comparison to his lust-fuelled fantasy of Roy. When he looks down at Wally, he ponders about the dichotomy between his feelings for both redheads. Dick knows what he feels for Roy is a straightforward animal attraction, the thrill he gets when an attractive man notices him, touches him, gives him attention, but what he feels for Wally… What Dick feels for Wally is so much more complicated. He stares down at Wally and can almost feel the tight knot of history associated with his feelings untangling in his mind.

Wally doesn’t seem to notice the eyes on him, already in a light doze and Dick shakes his head with a sad smile. Dick sighs and hunches over to rest his chin on the backrest, gravitating closer to Wally like a compass to True North. He was falling into the same hopeless daydreams he’d entertained as a teenager, absolutely head over heels for the redhead while Wally chased after skirts and flirted with every girl in his sight. He could already feel that familiar longing blooming behind his ribs as he drank the redhead in, could feel his mouth turn down at the corners with the hurt that came with unrequited love. 

Dick sighs quietly under his breath and then pulls himself back. He was older now; he knew he could control himself. A fantasy or two wouldn’t send him tumbling back into an infatuation with Wally. Dick was content to simply bask in his best friend’s presence and counted himself lucky he had even been let back into Wally’s life so easily. He shook himself out of his maudlin thoughts and walked over to the kitchen, deciding that brewing the redhead a cup of coffee to rejuvenate him probably wouldn’t hurt. As the coffee machine worked, he flipped through the drawer full of takeout menus, wondering what Wally would want for dinner when he woke up.

Settling on Chinese, he grabbed the menu and the cup of coffee he’d poured into a mug and left the kitchen. The smell of coffee made Wally start to stir and Dick smiled in amusement as he sniffed his nose like a dog and emerald green irises peeked out from behind half-opened eyelids. Dick set the cup on the coffee table right in front of the cream colored couch. Wally yawned and then stretched, arms and legs flinging out like he was making a snow angel, and Dick laughed. 

“Mmm, this for me?” Wally asked sleepily, gesturing at the coffee as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Dick nodded and Wally flashed him a toothy smile before grabbing the mug with both hands. He took a sip, looking absolutely blissed out and instantly became slightly more alert. He patted the empty spot next to him, wordlessly requesting Dick to sit down, and smiled over his cup when Dick sat down next to him.

“What do you want for dinner? I was thinking Chinese,” Dick said, waving the menu in the air. Wally took a big gulp of his cup and nodded profusely.

“You read my mind, Dickie,” he said happily, eyes squinting a little and Dick’s heart skipped a beat. He punched down the feeling, refusing to acknowledge the butterflies in his stomach and smirked back cheekily.

“Detective Dick cracks yet another case,” he jokes and Wally snorts around the lip of his mug. He finishes the last dregs of his coffee, puts it on the table then sprawls back with a contented sigh. His arms were flung along the back of the couch, one close enough to Dick’s shoulders that he could feel the heat of it. Instead of leaning back into it like he usually would, Dick settled for staying in the same position. He was feeling a little too off-kilter to accept the friendly touch, lost in memories and feelings that he thought he’d long buried.

“Order General Tso’s and those eggrolls. I could eat like fifty of those right now,” Wally says, gesturing at the menu. Dick chuckles then quickly takes out his phone to ring the number when Wally widens his eyes at him, patting at his growling stomach pointedly.

* * *

The remains of the takeout Wally and Dick had demolished sat on the coffee table as both of them lazed on the couch, neither of them really watching the random Netflix Nature Documentary that Wally had put on. Wally was nearly asleep, eyes hooded and limbs loose, practically sinking into the cushions, and Dick wasn’t faring much better, absently scrolling through his Instagram and stifling a yawn every two minutes. It was comfortable and even having spent most of the day with his emotions all over the place, Dick finally felt relaxed enough to lean into Wally’s outstretched arm.

He yawned again, trying to blink his eyes awake when his phone chimed with a notification. Confused, he unlocked the screen that had went dark and then sat up so fast the TV remote sitting between him and Wally fell to the floor. Wally jolted out of his doze, looking around in squinty-eyed confusion, then finally noticed Dick, who was sitting straight as a steel rod and gaping at his phone.

“Uhhh, Dick. Everything alright?” he asked tentatively and Dick’s ensuing grin was so wide his cheeks hurt.

“I got it,” he whispered loudly and Wally gave him a confused look.

“Got what?” Wally asked and Dick turned the full force of his grin on him, making the redhead’s eyes fly wide open with shock and a little fear at Dick’s manic grin.

“I got the job!” Dick shrieked and then flung himself onto Wally in a bear hug. Wally mumbled something that was muffled where his face was pressed into Dick’s chest. Dick reared back in embarrassment when he felt the outline of Wally’s lips through his shirt, right on his clavicle.

“You got a job?” Wally said, blinking in confusion and Dick nodded rapidly.

“I had an interview on Monday, I thought I wouldn’t hear back but I just got an email from the interviewer that said I got the job! She wants to discuss contract details and negotiate salary on Monday,” Dick rambled delightedly, somehow having drifted closer to Wally again and was talking right in his face. Wally looked hilariously disconcerted but didn’t back away from the close proximity.

“You got a job? Where? You only just got here like two weeks ago! Man, you Gothamites work fast,” Wally exclaimed, gaping at an ecstatic Dick.

“It’s a Yoga teacher position at a gym nearby. Tigress Gyms, you’ve probably walked past it,” Dick said and Wally raised his eyebrows, impressed.

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen that place. Damn, Dick. Congrats!” Wally said with a grin, arms that were previously trapped beneath Dick’s weight raising to grip him by the shoulders.

“I’m so freaking excited. I really loved the people that worked there and plus now, I can stop free-riding off of you and actually pay some rent,” Dick rambled on but was stopped short when Wally made a loud, affronted noise.

“Excuse me? What was that? You’re not paying rent,” he said, eyebrows furrowed and Dick stared at him aghast.

“What do you mean I’m not paying rent! I mean it’s a Yoga teacher position so I won’t be making nearly enough to get my own place just yet so the least I could do is pay my share of rent and utilities-” Dick explained and Wally cut him off with a furious sound.

“Woah, I never said _anything_ about you moving out. Also, no way am I letting you pay me a dime. You’re my guest!” Wally said angrily, eyes sparking and Dick’s mouth fell into a deep frown. Wally looked at him stubbornly, lips pursed in a scowl and Dick gaped at him when he realised the redhead was being _serious._

“You’re kidding me! There’s no way I’m going to mooch off of you for who knows how long, you idiot!” Dick shouted and slammed a fist on Wally’s chest. Instead of replying like a rational human being, Wally glared at him and kicked his legs, trying to dislodge Dick where he was lying half on top of him. Dick gasped indignantly and scrambled up higher, straddling the redhead with his thighs firmly clamped around Wally’s hips so the man couldn’t fling him off. Then, he slapped the redhead sharply across the head to hopefully slap some sense into the pig-headed man. 

Wally wasn’t having it, and it immediately devolved into a childish tussle where Wally kept jerking his hips up to try and dislodge Dick and grabbed Dick’s wrists to stop him from landing any more hits on him. They both muttered expletives as elbows and knees dug into sides, and neither of them realised the compromising position they were in until the apartment door creaked open and Roy’s incredulous voice rang out.

“What the _fuck_ are you two doing?” Roy barked and Dick shot to attention. Roy’s wide eyes were looking them up and down, from Wally’s red face to where Dick’s ass rested on Wally’s thighs, his wrists gripped tightly in Wally’s hands. Dick’s face flamed when he realised what it looked like and he scrambled backwards on his hands, flinging himself to the other end of the couch and kicking Wally in the stomach in his haste. Wally let out a punched-out noise and groaned in pain, sitting up to clutch his side. 

“Nothing! Wally’s just being an idiot,” Dick said quickly, shooting the redhead in question a vicious glare and crossing his arms over his chest. Wally was still rubbing at the side of his stomach, grimacing in pain and Dick felt vindictively satisfied that he’d probably left a bruise. He was fuming too much to properly acknowledge the position they had been in and now his attention was on Roy, who looked like he wasn’t sure to ask more questions or just turn around and walk right back out the apartment.

“Oh please, _I’m_ the one who’s being an idiot? Do you even hear yourself?” Wally asked scornfully and Dick gaped at him. Roy’s eyes were flicking between the two warily, clearly wondering what exactly he had just walked into. Dick and Wally hadn’t had a single petty argument since Dick had moved in, and clearly this was new to Roy. For Dick, this wasn’t even a rare occurrence, he remembered a _lot_ of mindbogglingly stupid arguments he’d had with Wally that had led to one or both of them nursing bruises.

“You’re the one who’s trying to act all macho instead of being _reasonable_ ,” Dick sniped back and Wally’s lip curled in disgust.

“What you think this is me trying to be _macho_? I’m not letting you pay rent!” Wally shouted, growing even redder in the face and Dick sat up, ready to fling actual fists this time instead of light slaps. He didn’t notice Roy’s eyes shoot to his hairline, and only saw his expression when the man cleared his throat to speak.

“You want to pay rent?” Roy asked curiously, eyebrows raised. He was still standing in the middle of the room, slouching back on his heels next to the TV. Dick noticed the man looked haggard, like he’d spent multiple days in the same ratty hoodie he was wearing, but the observation took a backseat at Wally’s derisive snort. Dick shot him a murderous glare then smirked when he realised Roy would definitely not say no to Dick paying his share.

“Yeah. I got a job at a gym nearby. It’s not enough for me to get my own place but I don’t want to mooch off you both so like any _reasonable human being_ ,” Dick said pointedly, glaring at Wally, who looked more livid by the second, “I want to pay my share of rent and utilities,” he finished. Dick looked at Roy expectantly, waiting for his response. Roy looked at him for a long moment then snorted.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” he said nonchalantly and then walked past them towards his bedroom without even waiting for Dick’s reply. Dick gaped at him, craning his neck to see his figure receding into his bedroom. Next to him, Wally crowed with delight, he grinned wide and flipped Dick off. Dick made a face at him and got up, stomping away to Wally’s bedroom as the redhead laughed uproariously.

Dick didn’t care what they said, he was going to contribute in one way or another. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were some... weird tonal shifts in this chapter. Sorry if it read a little sloppy!


	14. Reconciliations

Dick sulked alone in Wally’s bedroom for a long time, until the documentary Wally had put on finished, and the redhead slipped into the bedroom, still frowning. Dick got off the bed with a sigh, where he had been sitting cross-legged for the past hour.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” Dick muttered and tried to shoulder past Wally, but the redhead grabbed him by the wrist before he could pass the doorway. Dick stopped and gave the man a disgruntled look and Wally opened and closed his mouth a few times before he answered.

“Don’t. It’s really uncomfortable,” Wally said without meeting his gaze. Dick rolled his eyes.

“That’s not what you said the night I got here. Actually, as I recall, you said it was more comfortable than the bed,” Dick said pointedly, with raised eyebrows. Wally frowned deeply and turned to meet his eyes.

“Yeah, I lied. Big deal. Don’t sleep on the couch,” Wally bit out, eyes sparking with annoyance. Dick bristled at his tone and straightened his posture, pulling his wrist out of Wally’s grip.

“You’re in a mood, huh? You really think you can just order me around and I’ll do whatever you want?” Dick sneered, feeling something ugly unfurl in his chest. He didn’t understand what he was feeling but he knew that he definitely didn’t appreciate the tone the redhead was taking with him right now. It reminded him too much of Bruce on his bad days. Dick knew his adoptive father only wanted the best for him, but Bruce could be... overbearing. Dick hadn't flown halfway across the country to Central only to fall back into the same agreeable, submissive, eager-to-please role he had inadvertently adopted over the years. 

“Look, I don’t get why you’re so-” Wally said with exasperation, stepping closer and Dick took a step back, legs colliding with the bed. He had nowhere else to go but face Wally, who was conveniently blocking the doorway.

“You don’t get why I’m what? Wally. All I asked was if I could _contribute_ instead of leeching off you and Roy. I don’t think it was so terrible of me to offer to pay rent,” Dick argued, but his voice had no heat in it. He’d been stewing for an hour until Wally had come in and most of his anger had fizzled out. Clearly, Wally was feeling similarly because his reply was calmer than Dick expected from the obstinate, argumentative redhead.

“Yeah, fine it wasn’t terrible, but it made me _feel_ terrible. What kind of person tells their _childhood_ best friend to pay rent when they crash at their place? You really think so little of me?” Wally said, brows furrowed and expression hurt. Dick reared back in surprise because he didn’t realise that was what had fueled Wally’s outburst. He had just assumed it was the redhead being bossy.

“I… Wally, I’ve been here two weeks. I didn’t mean to insult you. I just don’t want to be a burden on you,” Dick whispered and Wally shook his head quickly.

“No, no way. You’re not a burden,” Wally said hotly and Dick sighed.

“Wally, I literally sleep in your room. You spend _all_ your free time with me. You get off work and I’m immediately in your space. You don’t even get any privacy in your own bedroom. I can understand why Roy’s not particularly bothered, but you’re the one who’s having to adjust to me being here. So is it so bad I want to make it a little easier for you?” Dick said patiently. Wally looked confused, like he hadn’t considered any of this at all.

“Well, maybe I don’t mind spending time with you,” Wally muttered stubbornly. Dick suppressed an amused smile at the childish response.

“Walls, you don’t have _any_ alone time. How can you be okay with that? We barely even fit on your bed!” Dick exclaimed, flinging his hands up in an exasperated gesture. Wally scratched the back of his head awkwardly and refused to meet his eyes.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said simply and Dick just did not understand what was going on behind the man’s thick skull. He flicked a finger sharply at Wally’s forehead and the redhead snapped to look at him with an _“ow!”_

“I don’t believe you,” Dick said, and Wally’s eyes narrowed.

“Well maybe _you're_ the one bothered by it. ‘Cause it doesn’t bother me,” Wally shot back and Dick rolled his eyes.

“Real mature. No, I’m not bothered by sharing a bed with you. Hell, I’m glad I even have a bed in the first place. You know I could sleep on the couch right?” Dick sighed and Wally scowled.

“Man, shut the fuck up and get in bed. I’m tired and I told you, you’re not sleeping on the couch,” Wally said demandingly. Dick crossed his arms over his chest and stared until the redhead realised his mistake. Wally had a visible battle where he tried not to just _make_ Dick do what he wanted and then slumped in defeat.

“Fine, look. I like having you around. I like sharing a bed with you. I like waking up to someone. I don’t know why you can’t get that through your head. And even though I understand your logic, I’m still sticking to a firm no on the rent issue,” Wally said, throwing statements in rapid succession but Dick was too stunned to interject.

His ears had stopped working right after _I like waking up to someone._ He could see Wally’s mouth moving as he ranted about rent with an annoyed look on his face, but he didn’t process a single word. Dick heard his heart beat loudly in his ears, a _badump-badump_ that felt like drums in his head. _He couldn’t have meant like- Could he?_ Dick thought wildly.

“ _Dick?_ Dick! You even listening?” Wally snapped and Dick came to. He could still feel his rapid heartbeat, but Wally’s voice had snapped him out of the spiral of his thoughts. Dick shook himself. _No, it was just a figure of speech_. Wally couldn’t have meant it the way Dick thought. He probably just meant he appreciated Dick’s presence, as a friend. They’d slept in the same bed as kids too, it probably reminded Wally of their childhood sleepovers. Never mind that back then they were smaller and they had actually had a few inches of space between them, but that must have been what the redhead meant.

“Right, yeah. Look, we’ll discuss the rent later. Let’s just.. go to sleep,” Dick mumbled, not trusting himself to pursue the topic when he felt like someone had pulled the rug out beneath him. Wally gave him an incredulous look.

“That’s what I said like 5 minutes ago. I’m gonna go brush my teeth and I better not come back to you sleeping on the couch,” Wally warned and then left the bedroom. Dick sat on the bed heavily and tried to stop the dangerous spiral of his thoughts. He was misreading the situation, he had to be. Wally had never given any indication of returning his feelings, not before and definitely not now. No, Dick had to get his emotions under wraps before they went to sleep because otherwise he was going to embarrass himself. He silently did a few deep breathing exercises and then slid under the covers. It’d be easier if he was just asleep before Wally got here, he reasoned and in a few minutes, he fell into a fitful sleep.

The last thing to echo through his mind as he dropped off was Wally’s voice, saying, _I like waking up to someone._


	15. Compromise

Dick slipped out of bed before Wally wakes up the next morning and goes on a jog. He’d woken up with his limbs entangled with Wally’s again, his back to the redhead’s chest and instead of the usual comfort it provided him, it had set his heart beating a mile a minute. Dick needed to clear his head and a jog was the best way to do it. He wasn’t sure how he could possibly spend an entire weekend with Wally otherwise.

He slowly woke up as the fresh morning air ruffled his hair, feeling his heartbeat settle and breaths even out as he jogged. He ran past _Tigress Gyms_ and a smile drifted to his face. In all the chaos with Wally’s reaction, he hadn’t gotten a chance to truly think about his new job. He grinned widely and pumped his pace up a little, working off that excited energy with a faster jogging pace.

Dick was positive that _Tigress Gyms_ was the place for him. Megan and Zatanna had been so friendly and welcoming, and he had already begun to look up to Dinah. Artemis was an unknown quantity, but she was a formidable woman whose acceptance and approval he had inadvertently begun to crave. He wondered briefly if he was reverting to old habits and his need to please had just shifted focus, but shook it off quickly.

Dick was an optimist and he knew that working at the gym would be different because it wasn’t just the people, but the work itself. Dick had never liked working at Wayne Enterprises, even if he had been good at it. He felt trapped in a cubicle, and even the glass-walled offices with the best views felt like a cage. He craved the freedom of the circus, flying from bar to bar, with the rush of wind in his hair. He may have outgrown Haly’s Circus but the circus was still in his blood. He didn’t feel like himself if he wasn’t stretching his limbs. He had a feeling he could truly be himself at _Tigress Gyms_.

Lost in his thoughts, Dick hadn’t realised when he’d looped back around the block to the apartment. He suppressed a jolt of nerves and sighed. He couldn’t avoid Wally forever and Dick knew he didn’t actually want to. He was just afraid that he’d misconstrue Wally’s friendship as something more and ruin their relationship irrevocably. He was grateful that Wally had given him a second chance, but also terrified that he would mess it up again. Dick reminded himself that he was an adult, all he had to do was compartmentalize. He just had to put his feelings aside and focus on his friendship with Wally. Dick steeled himself and then walked back up to the apartment.

He opened the door to a silent apartment, which was unsurprising with how early he had left for his run. He toed off his running shoes, leaving them by the door and then walked down the hall to the bathroom, shrugging off his shirt as he did. He wiped down his sweaty chest with it, grimacing and raised a hand to open the bathroom door. Dick yelped and nearly fell over when it opened before his hand could reach the door. His palm fell smack dab onto the shoulder of a sleepy Roy, who grunted in confusion.

“Oh, crap. Sorry! I didn’t know it was occupied,” Dick said quickly. Roy looked at him blearily, dark bags underneath his eyes and it reminded Dick he hadn’t seen the man for almost a week. Roy looked tired, like he hadn’t slept a wink and Dick frowned. Before he could ask about it, Roy’s eyes widened a little, and travelled down Dick’s face, down his neck and lingered on his shirtless chest. Dick hugged his shirt to his chest on reflex, trying to hide it and Roy eyes flicked back to his face quickly.

Roy cleared his throat awkwardly and opened his mouth to say something, but a yawn overtook him before he could. Dick smiled a little at the unexpectedly adorable sight of Roy’s sleep ruffled hair, eyes in a sleepy squint, hand over his yawning mouth. Wordlessly, Dick moved aside and Roy gave him an appreciative nod before he shouldered past, shuffling slowly down the hallway towards his bedroom. Dick shook his head with a small smile and entered the bathroom for his shower.

* * *

Dick spent the rest of the weekend looking over the contract Dinah had emailed. The contract stated that he would be teaching Introductory Yoga Classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, and possibly specialised, lengthier classes on Saturday afternoons if requested by gym members. He would have a more flexible work arrangement, for the rest of the week, where he would be expected to help out with the general upkeep of the gym equipment. 

Dinah had been kind enough to provide a list of poses that gym members had requested in a survey Dinah had done a few months prior to hiring him. Dick pored over the document tirelessly, mentally compiling a lesson plan that he’d type up later. Wally kept trying to get his attention throughout the day, but gave up when Dick mumbled half-hearted answers to his questions and spent the entire afternoon glued to his laptop. Roy was sleeping like the dead, not a single peep was heard from the direction of the bedroom all day, not even when Wally ordered lunch and dragged Dick away from his laptop.

Wally and Dick spent lunch bickering and snarking at each other over the aforementioned rent issue, neither willing to back down and Dick found it surprisingly easy to ignore his attraction to the redhead when he was being a total _dickhead._ Dick stormed off in a huff after lunch, receding to Wally’s bedroom to work on his lesson plan while the redhead commandeered the couch and started gaming, deliberately connecting a _single_ controller to the PS4. Dick knew a clear rebuff when he saw one. 

Dick hadn’t realised it was evening until the door to Wally’s bedroom clicked open and someone cleared their throat loudly. Dick turned to the doorway, attention broken and huffed in annoyance when he saw it was Wally, leaning against the doorway and nonchalantly scrolling through his phone instead of talking to Dick.

“What?” Dick said, when Wally remained stubbornly silent, eyes trained on whatever he found so interesting on his phone. Wally glanced at him, emerald eyes narrowed and raised an eyebrow.

“Dinner, you coming or you want to sulk some more?” Wally quipped. Dick glared at him and put down his laptop.

“I’m not sulking, I’m working,” Dick said pointedly and Wally rolled his eyes.

“Dinner. Take it or leave it,” Wally said rudely and then walked away. Dick ground his teeth, and almost, _almost_ went back to his laptop out of sheer spite but then his stomach growled loudly, reminding him he’d left half his lunch uneaten after a particularly frustrating remark from Wally about where Dick could shove his share of the rent. Dick sighed and followed Wally out of the bedroom.

He walked into the living room, where two pizza boxes sat on the coffee table. A marginally more refreshed looking Roy was lounging in his Lazy boy, sipping at a beer, looking bored as he watched a show playing on the TV that Dick couldn’t identify from his vantage point. Wally had a mouthful of pepperoni pizza and was steadily ignoring Dick’s presence and pretending he was entirely ensconced in this episode of Umbrella Academy, apparently.

Dick sat down next to Wally and grabbed a slice of pizza from the second box, which mercifully contained a pizza with toppings that included vegetables. Dick rolled his eyes and tried not to smile, so Wally was mad at him, but not mad enough to make Dick suffer through greasy meat-laden pizza. Wally’s focus on the TV intensified when Dick turned to stare at the side of his face and Dick snorted. He glanced at Roy, who wasn’t even pretending to watch the show, and instead was clearly entertaining himself with tonight’s edition of the Dick and Wally Show.

“Walls. Are you done?” Dick said, after finishing his slice of pizza. Wally ignored him.

“Done what?” Roy asked, leaning slightly forward. Dick made eye contact with him briefly, noting the blatant curiosity in his gaze.

“Done ignoring me,” Dick said and finally got a reaction out of Wally, who turned to him with a huff.

“Me? You ignored me all day,” Wally snapped through a mouthful of pizza, brows furrowed angrily.

“Can you _not_ talk with your mouth full?” Dick snapped back, disgusted.

“Okay, mom,” Wally scoffed and Dick sighed explosively.

“I wasn’t ignoring you, I was working,” Dick huffed and Wally snorted.

“Workaholic,” he muttered and Dick rolled his eyes. At this rate, the next time he’d roll his eyes, they’d just stay there.

“Says you,” Dick said and winced at the childish retort. He really was regressing to his teenage years the more time he spent arguing with Wally. They dissolved into silence again until Roy cleared his throat, giving them both wary glances as he got up. They both turned to look at him simultaneously and he raised his hands in the air in surrender.

“Just gonna go grab another beer,” he said, nodding slowly and walked towards the kitchen. In his absence, Wally turned sideways to focus the full brunt of his attention on Dick.

“You’re not paying rent, I don’t care how long you ignore me, I’m not agreeing to that,” Wally said sharply. Dick turned towards him, pizza slice forgotten and crossed his arms over his chest.

“For the last time, I _wasn’t_ ignoring you. Even though you’re being really unreasonable, and I totally _should_ be ignoring you,” Dick retorted.

Wally glared back and they stared at each other, waiting for either of them to break. It went on for uncomfortably long, as if a staredown was going to be what determined the final victor of this never-ending argument. Dick was almost about to falter at the intensity of that emerald green gaze, suddenly feeling flushed when a shout from the kitchen broke their gaze. A disgruntled Roy rushed back into the living room, looking furious.

“God, what the hell, West. I thought I told you to clean the fucking dishes,” Roy hissed with a glower.

“What, no way! I did the dishes last time,” Wally argued, frowning.

“No, _I_ did the dishes last time, numbskull. You were supposed to do the dishes, a goddamn week ago, by the looks of it because there’s practically _mold_ growing on some of those plates!” Roy growled, hands on his hips and a frankly menacing aura emanating from him that reminded Dick of their first meeting.

“No… I’m pretty sure I did the dishes last time,” Wally replied because clearly he had no self preservation instinct or was just used to being the focus of Roy’s ire. Roy’s mouth opened, about to launch into a tirade when a brilliant idea came to Dick, in a flash of inspiration.

“I’ll do them,” Dick said and both Roy and Wally snapped to look at him. Roy’s mouth closed with a click of confusion and even Wally was looking at Dick in puzzlement.

“I’ll do the dishes,” Dick repeated and both redheads were clearly too thick to understand, so he had to spell it out for them.

“Wally, Roy, you both said I can’t pay rent. You never said I couldn’t help out around the house,” Dick said with a smirk, grinning at Wally, who was dawning with realisation.

“Well hold on just a second-” Wally started but Roy bulldozed over him, striding over to slap a hand over Wally’s mouth.

“Do it,” Roy said quickly and Wally made a muffled sound of affront. Dick smiled widely at Roy, probably the only man in the world who was delighted at the prospect of doing the dishes. Wally shrugged off Roy’s hold on him and sputtered.

“Wait, no. You can’t just let him -” Wally began and Roy slapped the back of his head with a growl.

“Well, are you going to do them?” Roy asked, one eyebrow raised dangerously. Wally stared up at him apprehensively, rubbing the back of his head. Dick waited patiently, finishing off the slice of pizza he had put aside.

“Well… no,” Wally finally said, glancing in the direction of the kitchen with a grimace. Dick stood up and dusted the pizza crumbs off his hands.

“Then its settled! I’ll do the cooking and the cleaning around here,” Dick said with a triumphant smile. Wally stared at him, lips pursed and then sighed. He flopped back on the couch dramatically.

 _“Fine_.” he acquiesced, “But no paying rent!” he added quickly when Dick’s grin widened. Dick gave him a withering look and then nodded. Roy was looking at him with utter relief in his eyes, Dick gave him a weird look. Roy just shook his head pityingly, as if to say _“Your funeral_ ” and clapped him on the back on the way back to his recliner.

Dick walked off towards the kitchen to see what horrors awaited him. 


	16. Fresh Start

Dick and Wally’s argument finally ended as all their arguments always do, with a lot of unnecessary posturing (Wally), followed by stubborn silent treatment (Dick) and finally, a mutual, unspoken decision to forget any argument had ever occurred. This arrangement has always worked for them; it is a tried and tested, scientifically proven method that always yields favorable results, so Dick is not surprised when he wakes up bright and early Monday morning in Wally’s very tight embrace, with the redhead humming happily in his ear.

“ _Wally_ ,” Dick whined and struggled a little. He wanted to rub the sleep from his eyes but his arms were trapped in the constricting grip of a goddamn human _python_. Wally continued to hum tunelessly and snuggled in tighter, resting his chin on Dick’s shoulder. 

“Wally, let go,” Dick groaned and prayed to every deity he knew that Wally wouldn’t notice his… little problem. Central City was slowly shifting into its blisteringly hot summer months and sweat was making Dick’s shirt stick to his back. Everywhere Wally’s skin touched his felt like skin-to-skin contact even through their clothes and if it weren’t turning him on so much right now, Dick would probably find the shared sweat very disgusting. 

“Mm, nah” Wally mumbled, a gust of hot air on Dick’s ear and Dick felt goosebumps rise on his skin. He swallowed thickly and curled his knees inwards to hide his predicament, silently thanking the aforementioned deities that his hips and legs were free from Wally’s embrace.

“Walls. You have work. _I_ have work,” Dick complained and renewed his struggles.

“Alarm hasn’t rung yet,” Wally said serenely and turned his face so his nose rested on the hinge of Dick’s jaw. There was a displacement of air and… was, was Wally _smelling_ him? Mentally stamping down his impending freak out, Dick finally shoved himself out of Wally’s arms and stumbled out of bed. 

“Oh come on,” Wally whined, emerald grin eyes squinting at him, lips pursed in a pout. 

“I’m not going to be late for my first day,” Dick said emphatically, shooting Wally a glare over his shoulder and then walked stiffly towards the door and prayed Wally did not notice his awkward gait. 

He brushed his teeth quickly and hopped straight into the shower, turning it on full blast. Dick jumped when the cold spray hit him and shivered, teeth chattering but his erection refused to abate. He grit his teeth and soaped himself up, deliberately avoiding a particular area of concern because he couldn’t… He wouldn’t. He had _just_ been in Wally’s bedroom.

 _Wally, oh fuck_. Dick groaned when he immediately felt a spike of arousal at even the thought of the redhead. He rested an arm on the wall, leaning his head on his forearm and letting the cold water wash the suds off his body. His other hand drifted lower and lower, and Dick bit his lip. It would only take a few minutes, just a quick few strokes… If he spent any longer and waited it for it to go down it would be more awkward than just… getting rid of the problem. Besides, the alarm hadn’t rung and Wally was probably already back to sleep, he reasoned desperately.

At the thought of Wally, he finally let his hand drop to his cock and stroked it lightly. He swallowed a moan and tightened his grip, ramping up the speed and trying to go fast enough that his mind wouldn’t drop into fantasies... but it was a lost cause. Red hair flashed behind his eyes, coupled with squinty, annoyed green eyes and the feeling of sleep-warm arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Dick gasped, a soft _uh_ sound that came out of his throat unbidden.

He stroked faster, hand slipping a bit as images played behind his mind, some imagined and others all too real, remembering the cold tip of Wally’s nose touching his jaw, his breath on Dick’s ear, the way his shirt stuck to Dick’s back with sweat, and his happy, sleepy humming that was so _terribly_ endearing. His mind wandered and he wondered if he was taking too long in the shower and if Wally’s alarm had finally rung. Maybe Wally was running late, maybe he would just open the door and slip right into the shower behind Dick to save time.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he whispered and panted loudly, mouth dropping open and legs feeling weak.

He shivered under the cold spray and his wrist started to hurt with the angle of his strokes, but only took two, three more strokes until he was coming with a high pitched moan, arm slipping on the wet shower tile as his knees turned to jelly. Dick panted for breath, hazily watching the shower wash the come off the wall. His blood turned to ice when the loud sound of a toilet flushing rung out in the bathroom. Dick stiffened. There was only one bathroom… and he was in it.

There was the click of a door opening and closing and Dick stood under the shower, eyes wide and face burning hot. Was that… Was that Wally? Hadn’t he locked the door? He swore and quickly got out of the shower, wrapping his towel around himself and stumbling back to the bedroom, face aflame. He had to… had to apologise to Wally or, or something. Logically he knew that it was natural and there was no reason for him to be embarrassed… and yet, he didn’t think Wally had signed up to listen to Dick jerking off in the shower when he’d agreed to let Dick stay with him.

Dick took a deep breath and quickly opened the bedroom door, only to see an unmoving lump under the rumpled blanket. The AC was now on full blast and the blanket Dick had thrown aside in the night was covering Wally’s entire body, leaving only a tuft of red hair visible. _Wally's still asleep?_ Dick stared in confusion, shivering in the doorway, water dripping off him and pooling on the floor at his bare feet. He checked the clock and noticed there were still a few minutes until Wally’s alarm usually rang.

 _Then who?_ Dick thought in confusion, staring at the snoring redhead ensconced in the bedsheets with utter consternation. _Roy_. He realised, eyes flying wide open, any lingering haze of orgasm leaving him in a cold, mortified rush. _Fuck_. He swore and then shut the door quickly. Roy had obviously woken up to take a leak and walked in on Dick. Dick squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip _hard_. God, this was so much worse than _Wally_ walking in on him. At least Wally would have laughed it off, but Roy? Dick had _no_ idea how Roy would react.

He quickly dried himself off and put on his workout clothes, grabbing a change of clothes and stuffing them into his gym bag. He dithered a bit, thinking about how he wouldn’t get to eat breakfast with Wally, but… but he really, _really_ had to get out of here because he could not face Roy right now. Dick nodded to himself and poked the sleeping redhead, telling him he was leaving. Wally mumbled something incomprehensible and turned to his other side.

Dick rolled his eyes and then high-tailed it out of the apartment. He would deal with this later, _much much_ later.

* * *

Thankfully, any lingering mortification left him the minute he stepped through the gym. Dick smiled and relished the feeling of accomplishment. _I work here,_ he thought because it was true, a few formalities later and he would be an official employee. He had a place to live, he had a job and he didn’t use any Gotham connections to get either of them. He’d done everything Bruce had claimed he couldn’t do and Dick would damn well allow himself to feel proud about it, even if he knew Bruce hadn’t really meant anything he'd said in their fight.

Before his thoughts could take a maudlin turn, a grinning Megan entered his line of vision. He grinned back and hugged her when she jogged up to him, already in her striped uniform shirt.

“Good morning, Dick!” Megan chirped and Dick replied in kind, feeling excited of what was to come. He made easy conversation with Megan, talking about the sudden turn the weather had taken, and how he was thinking about learning how to cook. Megan’s eyes had lit up all of a sudden but before she could reply to his last statement, there was a tap on his shoulder and Dick turned to see Dinah.

“Good morning, Dick,” she said warmly.

“Good morning!” he replied with a grin.

“You’ve looked over your contract then?” she then asked. Dick nodded in response.

“Yep, it all looks great! I’ve actually made some lesson plans for the Intro Classes that I was hoping you could take a look at?” Dick asked and Dinah looked pleasantly surprised.

“Of course, let’s finish the formalities and then Zatanna and Megan can tell you about your daily duties, and get you fitted for a uniform,” she said and then they walked to the small Administration office he’d noted on his last visit.

“So, if everything is alright with the contract, all you need to do is sign,” Dinah said, taking a seat in her chair and pulling out a hard copy of the contract she had emailed Dick from a desk drawer. Dick nodded but stopped short when he recalled what he’d wanted to ask Dinah but didn’t feel was appropriate over email.

“Actually, there was one thing. I’m happy with the stated salary, definitely, but I was wondering if I could have a small advance? Just for the first month!” Dick said hastily, explaining that he was new in the city and still getting set up. After Wally had agreed on their compromise, Dick had already begun to think about all the groceries he needed to buy to stock up that bare fridge of theirs.

“Oh of course, that's perfectly fine. I don’t think there’s any need to amend the contract for that. I’ll simply transfer part of your salary now, and the rest will be transferred on the allotted date,” Dinah said reassuringly and Dick smiled widely. He signed the contract and shook Dinah’s hand.

“Glad to have you officially be a part of _Tigress Gyms_ ,” Dinah said, sounding sincere and Dick smiled softly.

“Honestly, glad to be here. I wasn’t sure, after the interview,” Dick said with an abashed look. Dinah’s smile dimmed a little.

“I’m sorry about what Artemis said. She means well, she can just be a little wary. I assure you that she’s wholeheartedly on board, you wouldn’t be here otherwise,” Dinah said quickly and Dick shook his head.

“Oh, no I didn’t mean… There’s no need to apologise! It was a pretty standard interview!” Dick said hastily. Dinah smiled and gave him a knowing look, but said nothing in response. 

“Anyway, why don’t you email me those lesson plans, and I’ll read over them while Zatanna and Megan take over?” Dinah said and Dick nodded. He quickly emailed the lesson plans he’d typed up and transferred to his phone in advance, and then left the office. Zatanna and Megan were conversing outside, waiting for him and he jogged up to them with a grin.

“Hey!” he said to Zatanna and she grinned at him.

“Hey yourself, officially a Tigress now, huh,” she said jokingly, nudging him in the arm.

“Is that what you guys call yourself?” he asked curiously and Zatanna and Megan dissolved into laughter.

“No, silly! Although, that is what we call Artemis sometimes,” Megan faux-whispered, looking around surreptitiously. Zatanna was grinning at her and Dick felt like he’d suddenly been let on an inside joke between the two.

“Anyway, we’ll show you around. Actually, my boyfriend maintains most of the weight lifting equipment but he only works here part-time because he’s a professional bodybuilder, so he’s not here today!” Megan said and Dick raised his eyebrows impressed.

“Always finding an excuse to brag about Connor… Honestly, Megan,” Zatanna teased and Megan eyes widened in embarrassment.

“I wasn’t bragging…” Megan said and whined when Zatanna gave Dick a look to signify exactly the opposite.

“Anyway, she’s right. Weight-lifting equipment is maintained by Connor. Megan and I usually handle the rest, but Megan also handles social media and memberships and I’m the one who keeps the studios clean so we really do have our hands full,” Zatanna explained.

“So now that you’re here, you can finally take the load off,” Zatanna added with a grin.

“Ah, so I’m going to be doing all the grunt work then?” Dick quipped and Zatanna shot him a delighted look.

“Ooh, he’s got attitude. Yep, you’re definitely Tigress material,” Zatanna said with a smile, elbowing him in the side. Megan laughed and nodded, then grabbed him by the arm to drag him towards the first studio, talking a mile a minute about all the recipes she wanted to share with Dick since he’d mentioned he wanted to take up cooking earlier.

Dick smiled, enjoying the easy camaraderie between the three of them. Yeah, he was definitely happy to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cackles* Sorry, I'm a tease. :'')


	17. Settling In

Dick settled in nicely at _Tigress Gyms_ , he learned the ins and outs of maintaining equipment and Dinah had wholeheartedly been on board with his lesson plans. Dick's yoga lessons would officially begin the next week, so for his first week at the gym, Dick decided to do a few practice runs with Megan and Zatanna as his ‘students.’ It had led to a lot of friendly wolf-whistling from Zatanna at certain poses (let’s just say Downwards Dog was now a running gag at his expense) and some surprisingly helpful suggestions on Megan on how to cater to more inexperienced students.

They were doing one such practice run, in the usual morning lull on weekdays when Dick finally got to meet Megan’s boyfriend, Conner.

“Alright now lower yourself into Downwards-“ Dick started to say, as he moved out of Standing Fold and released his hold on his shins. 

“Doggy Style,” Zatanna interrupted, cheekily looking up at him, hands already on the mat as she assumed the pose. Dick rolled his eyes when Megan giggled.

“Yes, into the _Doggy Style_ pose, and hold for 2-3 minutes” Dick snorted and then held the pose. He had his head raised to keep an eye on Zatanna and Megan, still getting used to putting half his attention on his students rather than placing a single-minded focus into his own stretching like he had to do during Gymnastics over the years.

Zatanna was looking up at him, instead of facing down like she was supposed to and she wiggled her eyebrows at him. He wiggled his back playfully then gave her a look. She rolled her eyes and put her head down, letting her neck stretch out like it was supposed to. 

“Okay, now lets move into plank position,” he said and heard two simultaneous groans come from the two girls in front of him.

“Can we take a break?” Zatanna whined, and Megan was nodding rapidly, green eyes wide and pleading. Dick looked at them disapprovingly; he didn’t understand their mutual hatred for the plank pose, he usually found it put a pleasurable burn on his upper arms at first, but eventually left the muscles feeling warm and relaxed. 

“We only just started,” Dick argued but it seemed luck was on their side because there was the sound of someone clearing their throat from the direction of the studio entrance. Dick turned to the side to see an absolutely _hulking_ man standing in the doorway. He was well over 6 feet tall and his upper body was packed with muscle, tapering off into a thin, tight waist. Dick couldn’t help but stare at the bulging cords of muscle that made up his biceps, straining from his uniform shirt which looked a size too small for him.

“Conner!” Megan called out happily, standing upright and bounding over to the man. She hugged him tightly and the short redheaded woman looked positively tiny compared to the dark-haired man, who was smiling now and mumbling something out of Dick’s earshot in response to Megan’s cheerful chattering.

“ _That’s_ Conner?” Dick asked Zatanna incredulously as he stood upright. He suddenly recalled Megan had mentioned her boyfriend was a bodybuilder but it was one thing to hear about it and another to see it in person.

“Yep, don’t worry. I had the same reaction,” Zatanna said with a knowing smirk, eyes flitting between Dick and Conner. Dick’s eyes widened a bit when he realised her implications.

“Wait, hold on. It’s not like that! He’s not my type,” Dick muttered quickly. Red hair flashed behind his eyes and he tried not to blush.

Dick had somehow managed to entirely avoid Roy, now that he had to leave early every morning and came back in the afternoon when Roy had already left for his night shifts. Wally, he still saw twice a day for breakfast and dinner, but that didn’t stop the man from pouting about how Dick didn’t have lunch with him at S.T.A.R anymore. Of course, Zatanna didn’t know about any of that, so she wiggled her eyebrows at him teasingly. Dick shuddered to think the amount of teasing she’d subject him to if she found out he had the hots for not one, but two redheads, both of which who happened to be his roommates.

“Dick! This is Conner, my boyfriend. He also maintains the weight-lifting equipment,” Megan said brightly, her and Conner having walked over to where Dick and Zatanna were standing while they talked. 

“Hi,” Conner said and offered him a hand, a little awkwardly, his blue eyes were a lighter shade than Dick’s own and also refused to meet his own. Dick tamped down his initial confusion and then shook Conner’s hand firmly. Conner pulled away quickly, his eyes still focused on some spot to the side of Dick’s own. 

“Hi, I’m Dick! I just started working here. Megan said you work here part time?” Dick said, keeping his tone friendly and not making any move to make eye contact with Conner. It was clear the man was uncomfortable about something.

“Yeah. I manage the weights,” Conner responded, short and succinct. He stopped talking then and then just stood there silently. Megan looked up at him, a fond but sheepish expression on her face when she turned her face towards Dick. She looked at him apologetically and Dick tried not to furrow his brows in confusion.

“Hey Conner, I have to go clean the equipment actually. Walk with me?” Zatanna suddenly piped up and Conner met her gaze, looking strangely relieved. Dick tried not to frown, so it was just him who made the man uncomfortable? They both walked away, Zatanna making conversation that Conner gave short answers to.

“Sorry! He’s kind of awkward,” Megan said and Dick startled, realising the redhead was still standing next to him. Dick’s face cleared of confusion when he understood what she meant. Conner was clearly socially awkward around strangers, which explained his inability to make eye contact with Dick. A few paces behind her, Conner turned a little, ears perked and he glanced at them before rushing out of the doorway with Zatanna at his heels. 

“Oops. I think he heard me. Crap!” Megan said, green eyes widening and then laughed under her breath. Dick chuckled a little and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay. I thought he just didn’t like me or something,” Dick said self-deprecatingly and Megan shook her head quickly.

“Oh no way! He just takes a while to warm up to people. Don’t worry about it!” Megan said brightly and Dick smiled at her.

“I guess we better cut this lesson short? Unless you want to be my only student?” he asked her. She gave him a guilty look.

“Oh yeah. I guess so... I do have to sort through the sign-ups for your lessons, and send out a reminder on Twitter,” Megan replied and Dick waved her off. 

After Megan left, he completed his stretches, completing the plank pose and practicing a few others like low lunge and high lunge. When the burn in his muscles was pleasant but not too extreme, he rolled up the yoga mats and put them in the corner of the studio. He glanced at the clock, noting it was only 4 o’ clock and dithered a bit, wondering what he should do for the rest of the day. It was Friday, and Dinah had told him he was free to leave early because it was his first week, but Dick wasn’t sure there was any point leaving right now when he knew Wally would be swamped at work until at least 7 o’ clock.

While looking around, his eyes met his own in the mirrored studio walls. His eyes roved over his body and then the wide expanse of the empty studio reflected behind him, reminding him of when he’d stay behind at the Gymnastics Center as a teenager, practicing well into the evening until Alfred came to pick him up. He looked around, considering, his ears perked for anyone calling him out into the main gym area for anything. When he heard nothing for a few minutes, he figured the floor was his.

He took a starting position, huffing a quick breath and then dived right into a cartwheel as a warm up, lunging and throwing his body forward. He kicked his legs out, fanning them in an arc and then pulled upright. He felt a grin pull at his face at the familiar exertion and the craving for more made him set off into a back tuck from where he landed, rolling his body through the air and landing on his feet.

He ran forward the way he came, seeing his own movements reflected in the mirror in his peripheral vision and jumped into a roundoff, sinuously twisting his body to land strong on his feet and bouncing off of them immediately into a back handspring. Using the momentum of the back handspring, he threw himself into another back tuck, pulling his knees in mid-flip and then kicking his feet out into the air, landing strong to complete the routine. He panted for breath, feeling exhilarated. His blood was singing, it had been far too long since he’d done a routine and the fact that it had been flawless made him grin uncontrollably.

A low whistle from the doorway broke through his attention and he turned to see Artemis standing in the doorway. Artemis leaned against the entrance, hip cocked and long blonde ponytail resting over one shoulder. Her usual severe expression was absent, her mouth pulled into a small smile as she clapped. Dick gave her an abashed look and wiped a hand over the back of his sweaty neck, uncharacteristically afraid to make eye contact with the woman. He shouldn’t have been doing a floor routine on company time… and he wasn’t sure how the woman would react.

“Dinah wasn’t exaggerating, you really are talented,” Artemis said, and Dick met her eyes with surprise.

“Oh, I… Thanks. Sorry, I’ll get back to Yoga,” he said quickly and Artemis’ grey eyes flickered with amusement.

“Nah, you don’t start lessons till next week. Besides, you looked like you were having fun,” Artemis said, waving his concerns off with one hand. Dick noted that her knuckles were wrapped with tape, he vaguely remembered she was a Self Defense and MMA Instructor.

“Ah… I think I’ll stop for now. I’m a little rusty,” he said awkwardly and she raised an eyebrow.

“If that’s you being rusty, I can’t imagine what you’re like at full strength?” Artemis quipped and Dick couldn’t help but smile back pridefully.

“Are you instructing right now?” he asked curiously, glancing at her hands. She nodded.

“Yep, Friday Nights are MMA Nights. You want to come watch me beat Dinah’s ass?” she asked playfully, smirking. Dick laughed a little in response.

“I’m in,” he said and she gestured for him to follow. He looked at Artemis's back hopefully as he followed her, wondering if the woman was finally warming up to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is No Capes , so Conner grows taller than his 16yo body, think Clark Kent dimensions. 
> 
> Dick’s floor routine: [Round off back handspring back tuck kick-out.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2rcL-UAnU8)
> 
> Inspo: [Katelyn Ohashi’s absolute tenner routine.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ic7RNS4Dfo)


	18. Fight Club

“ _Tap out! Tap out! I tap out!”_ Dick wheezed, slapping his hand on the ground of the ring desperately. He was lying prone on his front, Dinah had his arm twisted behind his back and it hurt so _excruciatingly_ bad. His other arm was pinned at the wrist as she rest her entire weight on his back and Dick knew there was no wiggling out of this. Finally, the hold loosened, and Dick rolled onto his back in relief. He took deep panting breaths and stared up at where Dinah was flexing her neck and smirking at him.

“I definitely should not have agreed to that,” Dick said breathlessly as he sat up. Dinah was beaming and she shared a look with Artemis, who was leaning on the ropes with a shit-eating grin on her face.

After Artemis had dropped by the yoga studio, Dick had followed her out to main area, where he got to witness MMA Night in full swing. There was a small crowd of women he didn’t know, likely gym members who watched avidly as Artemis and Dinah fought it out. While Artemis hadn’t “kicked Dinah’s ass” like she claimed she would, Dick had found himself riveted at the extremely close fight. Both women were in the same weight class and they were quick, fast and _deadly_ in their strikes.

By the end of the final five-minute round, Dick was cheering with the rest of the crowd, watching Dinah land a vicious kick to Artemis’s head that knocked the younger blonde clean to the floor. Since it wasn’t a real competitive MMA fight, when Artemis was too winded to get up immediately, it had been considered a knockout. Objectively, Dick knew both women had pulled their punches so no one would get injured, but the power behind their punches and kicks was frightening even when neither was utilizing their full strength.

Zatanna, Megan and even Artemis had goaded him into entering the ring with Dinah, his many protestations that he had no idea how to fight went unheard. Besides an unfortunate stint in the Gotham Academy Wrestling Team that had ended unceremoniously when he’d realised close physical proximity to his male peers was _not_ ideal for a closeted teen like him, he had no martial arts experience. Still, Dick had succumbed to peer pressure in the end and ended up in the ring with the formidable blonde staring him down.

Dick liked to think he’d held his own, but he knew from the expressions on everyone’s faces right now that he’d gotten his ass handed to him and then some. There wasn’t enough space in the ring for Dick’s usual gymnastics maneuvers and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway since he wasn’t strictly allowed to do a back-flip or a flying kick according to the MMA rules. He’d managed to feint and land a few light punches that had Dinah raising her eyebrows, but she’d caught on to his patterns quick and had him pinned in no time.

“Everyone’s got their ass kicked by Dinah at least once,” Artemis cooed comfortingly, but she was still grinning laughingly at him. Dick rested his forearms on his thighs and panted for breath. He looked around and caught Zatanna and Megan giggling at him. Most of the strangers around the ring also looked very amused. Besides Conner, absolutely no one had an ounce of sympathy for him. _Typical._ He thought. _Speaking of Conner_ …

“Everyone? Even Conner?” he asked and Artemis threw her head back in a delighted laugh.

“Oh, _especially_ Conner,” she said, sharing a look with Dinah, who was casually unwrapping her hands and clearly hadn’t broken a sweat the entire fight. He looked at Conner with wide eyes and the man nodded meekly, holding eye contact with Dick for enough time that he could see the abject embarrassment in his eyes, enough for Dick to realise they were telling the truth.

“Damn, remind me to never get on your bad side,” Dick said apprehensively and the girls surrounding him burst into gales of laughter. Dinah slapped him on the back and helped him up. They got out the ring and left it open, where two women he didn’t know immediately clambered on with excited grins. They all stood outside the ring and watched the fight casually.

“Hey, it’s okay. Now you’re officially part of the family,” Zatanna said, nudging his shoulder with his own. He was about to retort when he met Artemis’ eyes, who had heard the exchange and was nodding in agreement. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, turns out all he needed to get Artemis’s approval was a good ass-kicking.

“Wow, so was this my initiation into Fight Club?” Dick said with a snort and Zatanna laughed.

“Hey, first rule of Fight Club!” Artemis said sharply in a faux-serious tone and Dick mimed zipping his lips shut. The fight in the ring was heating up, the two strangers were evenly matched much like Dinah and Artemis but he didn’t have time to watch because just then his phone chimed with a notification.

> W: yooooooo bird boy! off work?
> 
> D: you’re done already? its only 5 pm
> 
> W: yea! thawne took pity on us poor techs today
> 
> W: told us to head on home early
> 
> D: oh alright, my boss said i could leave early too
> 
> D: see you soon! 

“Who was that?” Zatanna asked and Dick’s head snapped up quickly. Zatanna was looking at him curiously and Dick realised he had been smiling to himself while texting Wally back. He quickly schooled his features into a normal expression.

“Oh, my roommate. He’s back from work,” Dick said nonchalantly but Zatanna’s curious look only increased in intensity.

“ _Roommate_ , huh?” she drawled, slowly, eyes twinkling and Dick cringed.

“What. What is it?” he said snappishly, flashing her an annoyed look.

“You were grinning a little _too_ much for it to be just your roommate is all… Right Megan?” she replied and hip-checked Megan who he only just now noticed had been observing their interaction keenly. Megan giggled and nodded in response, eyes flicking to Dick's phone. Thankfully, Conner’s attention was on the fight and Dinah and Artemis were talking off to the side, eyes tracking the movements in the ring. 

“Fine. I was trying to be nonchalant you know…” Dick grumbled and Zatanna laughed, flipping her long dark hair over one shoulder.

“There’s no need for that! Be as ‘chalant as you want,” she teased and he grinned at their similar sense of humor. He hadn’t even used any of his syntax jokes at work yet… He and Zatanna were clearly just on the same wavelength. 

“He’s my childhood best friend,” Dick admitted, and paused for Zatanna’s reaction.

“That all?” she asked inquisitively and Dick cursed mentally. She was too perceptive for her own good but he’d only known her for a week and Dick wasn’t ready to reveal _all_ his secrets just yet.

“Yeah. I’m just happy to spend more time with him,” Dick said flippantly. Zatanna still had that look in her eyes but thankfully, she shrugged and let it go.

“Speaking of, I’ll be heading back then,” he said with a regretful look and both Megan and Zatanna pouted at him. He gave them a contrite look and then walked over to Dinah to let her know he’d be leaving. She clapped him on the shoulder and told him to go ahead before Artemis grabbed her attention with a critique on the type of chokehold one of the fighters in the ring had on the other.

Dick left the gym with a grin on his face, thinking back to when Zatanna had declared him _part of the family._

* * *

Dick entered the apartment and saw Wally tuckered out on the couch, a beer in hand. He was throwing cheese puffs into his mouth and staring at the TV, eyes half-lidded and looking like he was about to fall asleep. Wally instantly came alert when Dick walked through the door and Dick glanced at the six-pack of beer sitting on the ground by the coffee table with raised eyebrows.

“Hope that’s not Roy’s beer?” Dick asked sarcastically.

“Yeah, I don’t have a death wish,” Wally snorted and popped another cheese puff into his mouth.

“I got that on the way back. Go ahead, crack one open,” he continued and then gestured expansively with his beer hand towards the rest sitting at his feet.

Dick shrugged to himself; he could use a beer after today. After his impromptu floor routine and then being bullied by Dinah in the boxing ring, a relaxing Friday night drinking beer on the couch with Wally sounded like exactly what he needed. He grabbed a can and then crashed next to Wally with a tired sigh, letting his sore muscles sink into the couch.

“Ooh, rough day at the gym?” Wally said, glancing at him sympathetically as he took a sip of his beer. Dick took a gulp of his own and nodded furiously.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Dick replied and Wally turned to face him, free hand resting along the back of the couch as he turned curious eyes on Dick.

“Do tell,” Wally said and that was all the invitation Dick needed to regale Wally with his day at the gym, starting from getting teased by Zatanna during his mock lessons, practicing his old routines and finally with getting beat up by his boss. Wally whistled and laughed outright when he told him how Dinah had pinned him in a flash and how his arm was _still_ smarting after being twisted behind his back.

“Damn, and I thought _my_ boss rode me hard. Yours literally beat you up,” Wally chortled and poked him in the shoulder. Dick rolled his eyes.

“Ah come on. It was all in good fun. I’m really starting to like it there,” Dick said, putting his beer to his lips to hide his smile. Wally noticed anyway and smiled at him fondly.

“Well, I’m glad you’re settling in so well. This mean I get to keep you in Central a little longer than usual?” Wally said questioningly. Dick took a sip of his beer to get some time to formulate his response, but in the end it didn’t quite matter because even though he knew the topic was going to come up again, he still wasn’t prepared in the least to talk about it.

“Actually… I don’t know if I’m going back to Gotham,” Dick said hesitantly, eyes trained on Wally to assess his reaction. Wally choked on his beer a bit and then coughed quickly.

“You… Not that I’m not ecstatic to hear that but… does Bruce know?” Wally asked worriedly, brows furrowed and Dick felt a stab of guilt. He looked away and nursed his beer for a few minutes. He could feel Wally’s gaze on him and he knew he couldn’t avoid answering for long.

"No. Not really,” Dick finally sighed and gave Wally an apologetic look at the cryptic answer. Wally looked at him appraisingly and put his empty beer can aside. He gestured for another and Dick passed him one. The _hiss_ of the can opening was loud with the TV on low volume and neither of them was actually watching what was playing.

“You never told me what you fought about,” Wally said tentatively but Dick noticed he didn’t frame it as a question. Dick muddled over how he would answer it, wondered if it was finally time to tell Wally the truth. He evidently took too long because there was the sound of a beer can being set down on the table and then Wally’s hand was gripping his shoulder lightly.

“Hey. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Wally said gently, emerald eyes a soothing balm that made Dick’s tense shoulders relax. Wally was his best friend and he deserved to know the truth, Dick decided.

“No. You deserve to know,” Dick said and a sudden burst of nerves made him raise the beer can shakily to his mouth to drink the last dregs of beer. He bent over to get another can and opened it quickly, taking another gulp to settle his nerves. He focused his gaze on the design on Wally’s threadbare T-shirt instead of meeting his eyes, too afraid of what his reaction would be.

“Wally… The reason I left Gotham is because I came out as gay,” Dick said in a rush and waited with bated breath for Wally’s response. There was silence and Dick could hear his heart beat loudly in his ears and with every moment of silence the beats grew louder until it was a cacophony in his head. It finally broke when Wally spoke.

“Dick, look at me,” he whispered but Dick closed his eyes, body stiff as a board. Broad hands settled on his shoulder and turned him sideways until he was facing Wally but still he didn’t open his eyes. He was too afraid, he didn’t want to see the disgust in his best friend’s emerald green eyes, the same eyes that were always trained on him with friendship and fondness.

“Dick, please open your eyes,” Wally said and something in his voice finally gave Dick the strength to open his eyes. Wally was looking at him gently, a soft smile on his face and Dick felt his heartbeat settle a bit because try as he might, he couldn’t find any disgust or anger in his gaze. 

“Did you really think I’d judge you? You’re my best friend,” Wally said admonishingly, but softly, so softly and then pulled Dick into his chest in a hug so tight Dick’s breath left his lungs. Dick’s hands were shaking and he could feel himself trembling. Wally was drifting his hands down Dick’s back soothingly and slowly, Dick hugged him back, clutching the threadbare T-shirt in his fists and trying not to dissolve into sobs.

“You… you’re really okay with it?” Dick asked, voice reedy with astonishment. He pulled back to look at Wally, searching his expression. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? I told you, you’re my best bud. I love you, man,” Wally whispered. Dick’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He had to close his eyes and bite his tongue sharply to remind himself it wasn’t a love confession, Wally didn’t mean it that way, they may have been words he’d craved to hear for years but they didn’t mean what he wanted them to mean.

“Thanks Wally,” Dick said breathlessly, biting down the _I love you too_ that wanted to tumble out of his mouth because he wasn’t sure he could say it without giving himself away and truly laying himself bare in front of the redhead. He already felt raw with emotion and he wasn’t sure how long he could go without bursting into an embarrassing bout of tears. 

“Bruce… wasn’t okay with it?” Wally asked uncertainly and Dick met his eyes. Wally’s gaze was steely, and Dick could guess at what the naturally protective redhead was thinking.

“It’s… a little more complicated than that. He’s not a homophobe. He just… You know how he is. Business comes first and there’s no way Wayne Enterprises would get the backing it needs if I publicly came out,” Dick blustered on quickly, letting it out before his mouth could snap shut. Wally only looked angrier in response and his mouth was opening, ready to spew heated words when Dick stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“No, look. I understand him. You don’t know how much his charities do for Gotham’s children. I can’t… I can’t take that away from him and I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t! But I’m just tired of pretending… and I needed a break, so I left,” Dick sighed.

Wally stared at him silently, a stubborn turn to his mouth that Dick knew only too well. Wally was holding back whatever he wanted to say about Bruce because he knew it would hurt Dick. Dick squeezed his hand where it was still resting on the redhead’s shoulder and Wally finally relaxed. He turned, grabbed his beer from the table and took a sip. Dick did the same and for a while they sat in companionable silence.

“Well, his loss. I’m keeping you here now,” Wally finally said, shooting Dick a sideways grin. Dick couldn’t help but snicker at the man’s impudent expression. Wally had always loved getting on Bruce’s nerves whenever the two met, there was nothing the troublemaker enjoyed more than ruffling the feathers of a serious, uptight man like Dick’s father.

An uncomfortable thought suddenly occurred to Dick and his grin fell away. He cleared his throat and glanced at Wally.

“Hey… You still okay with us sharing a bed?” Dick asked cautiously and Wally swung around to give him a disbelieving look.

“Dude. Don’t ask stupid questions. Now shut up, it’s getting to the good part,” Wally said snarkily, slapping Dick upside the head with his free hand and sipping his beer with the other. Dick didn’t suppress the grin that overtook his face and turned towards the TV with minimal protest.

He watched the show and didn’t hear a word of dialogue, feeling like a weight had been lifted off him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry (not sorry) for angst :') 
> 
> How Dinah pinned Dick (timestamped):  
> [bar arm hold.](https://youtu.be/LOpw6Y_E7NM?t=51)


	19. Nerves

For the entire weekend, Dick felt like he was walking on clouds. Dick had been afraid Wally’s attitude would change towards him, but the redhead acted the same way he always did, with friendly banter and casual affection. Wally spent the weekend making up for all the time he hadn’t been able to spend with Dick over the week and they spent it lazing around on the couch. They had furious gaming sessions that turned into less skillful outplays and more physically shoving each other so one of them would fumble the controller and lose, one of them being Wally.

Roy had staggered in on Sunday night looking exhausted. He took one look at the war zone in the living room, cans of beer scattered everywhere, chip bowl overthrown, Wally and Dick’s matching shocked, guilty expressions, before he shook his head and went straight to his bedroom like a beleaguered parent. The interaction was so short that Dick didn’t recall their last encounter until he heard Roy’s door shut with a resounding thud and then he promptly choked on his sip of Dr. Pepper. 

“Holy shit, are you _okay_?” Wally yelped and slapped Dick on the back multiple times during his coughing fit. Dick felt tears prick at his eyes and when he could finally breath he shoved Wally away, his face red.

“Nothing! Went down the wrong way,” Dick mumbled in reply and thankfully, his intense blush could be passed off as a result of the fact that he’d stopped breathing for almost a whole minute. Wally gave him a weird look, eyebrows hiked in puzzlement and then let it go.

Dick glanced guiltily in the direction of Roy’s bedroom and wrangled Wally into cleaning up their mess. He tried to ignore the fact that the guilt was for an entirely different reason to what he’d told Wally. It was clear Roy had forgotten the incident; as they cleaned up, Dick muddled over his thoughts and finally concluded that maybe Roy hadn’t heard anything at all, and Dick was worried over nothing. He knew it was a flimsy self-reassurance, but he didn’t want to torture himself over it any longer.

After cleaning up and Wally knocking on Roy’s door asking if he wanted any dinner, to which he was met with silence, they both headed to bed. Wally flopped on the bed with a weary, over-exaggerated sigh and Dick rolled his eyes, you’d think the man had spent the entire weekend rock-climbing, with how dramatic that sigh had been. Dick perched on the small patch of space next to Wally’s hip as the redhead stretched his limbs over the bed like a starfish.

“Aren’t you going to brush your teeth?” Dick asked, looking at Wally with a small smile. Wally groaned and flopped an arm over his face.

“Too tired,” he moaned and Dick huffed in amusement.

“Oh yeah? From what?” Dick said teasingly and was met with two glaring emerald eyes peeking out from beneath a freckly arm.

“Oh I don’t know… From entertaining you all weekend?” Wally snarked back and Dick raised his eyes in disbelief.

“You? Entertaining? We sat in your apartment all weekend and gamed,” Dick said, a mocking grin pulling at his lips.

Wally stuck his tongue out at him and Dick had the sudden urge to lean down and pull it into his mouth with a kiss. It wouldn’t even be difficult... Dick was in the perfect position to just bend over and press his lips to Wally’s. He’d do it gently, he’d take the redhead’s bottom lip into his mouth and worry at it a little. He would pry his best friend’s mouth open with his own and Wally would probably taste like the cherry flavoured Dr. Pepper he’d had after dinner.

Dick looked away for a moment and took a calming breath. He knew he was entering dangerous territory. Wally had been so kind and understanding, but Dick doubted the feeling would persist if Wally knew… if Wally knew the kind of thoughts Dick entertained about him. Dick worried his lip, and clenched his fists lightly in the bedspread. He was lost in his thoughts and he didn’t realise that the redhead was still looking at him.

“Oh come _on_. Alright, I’ll take you out next week alright? Show you the sights, be your Central City tour guide for the day,” Wally declared and Dick turned to look at him. He realised Wally had probably taken his silence as Dick being upset with him. Dick decided not to correct him and smiled down at the redhead as he puffed out his chest. Wally grinned at Dick, doing his best impression of a tour guide, making Dick dissolve into laughter.

Suddenly, was a loud _thump_ on the wall and a muffled _“Go to sleep already!”_ from a very miffed Roy. Dick and Wally looked at each other with wide eyes, Dick pursed his lips tightly, holding in the laugh until his cheeks puffed up. Wally grinned impishly and then drifted fingers lightly over Dick’s stomach, where the redhead _knew_ he was ticklish, damn him. Dick burst into a new round of laughter, struggling to quiet down as more annoyed thumps came from the wall Wally and Roy’s bedroom shared.

“Stop!” Dick hissed and slapped Wally’s wandering fingers away. Wally winked and then threw his hands up in wide-eyed surrender when another, very loud, angry sounding thump occurred right next to the redhead’s ear. 

“ _Alright, alright old man! We’re going to bed!”_ Wally yelled back and rolled his eyes. Wally gave Dick a look, unimpressed eyes flicking to the alarm clock behind him which when Dick turned to look at, said _11:26 PM._ Dick chuckled quietly and then let out a shocked breath of air when hands pulled him down sharply. He landed on Wally awkwardly, sideways with one arm trapped beneath him, before he quickly adjusted so said arm was resting in the gap between Wally’s arm and torso. Dick used it to lever himself up quickly and put some distance between them but Wally was having none of it.

Wally’s arms hugged him around the middle like an octopus, then the redhead turned sharply and trapped him on one side of the bed, beneath half his own weight. Dick struggled, whispering angrily and Wally grinned at him laughingly, amused at the fact Dick couldn’t make too much noise in his fight to be free. Dick’s wide blue eyes stared into mirthful green ones that were just inches away and abruptly they both quieted. Wally’s grin faded away, the amused twinkle to his eyes morphing into soft fascination. His arms slackened but Dick didn’t move out of the embrace, caught up in Wally’s emerald gaze.

Dick held his breath, feeling hyper aware of everywhere they touched, the heat of Wally’s arms around his ribs, how close the tips of their noses were to touching and the suddenly charged atmosphere between them. Dick’s skin prickled with goosebumps as their noses brushed and he wasn’t sure who had leaned closer, if it was him or Wally. Wally, whose emerald eyes kept flicking down... flickering down to look at... With a burst of fear, Dick shoved the redhead away, heart thumping loud in his chest. Wally came back to himself at the unanticipated movement, looking stricken and Dick felt whatever nameless hope he’d been feeling dissipate at the redhead's expression.

“I’m going to go brush my teeth,” Dick said quickly and rushed out of the room. When he came back, Wally was already asleep.

* * *

When Dick woke up and remembered it was a Monday, he felt intensely relieved. He spent a few minutes in bed, watching Wally sleep, tracing a path between the freckles dotting the bridge of his nose with his eyes then sighed and got out of bed before the man woke up. Whatever had happened last night, Dick knew it was a fluke. He’d known Wally for years, Wally was his best friend, even after years of not seeing each other, he knew the redhead inside and out. By the time he’d finished his shower, Dick had resolved not to bring up what transpired between them last night and he knew Wally would feel the same.

He let the jittery nerves of his first yoga lesson overtake him instead of dwelling on it and he pored over his lesson plan religiously as he walked to work. He almost ran smack into the doors if it wasn’t for Megan spotting him through the glass and opening them for him. Megan gave him a rambling summary of her weekend but he was still wound up in his nerves for tonight’s yoga lesson to reply properly but she seemed to understand when he hummed monosyllabic responses.

Dick dove into his daily tasks and wiped down equipment with a rigor that had Dinah giving him concerned looks. He finished in record time and spent the rest of it begging Zatanna and Megan to let him hold another mock lesson. Megan was unfortunately busy with the logistics of personally messaging reminders to those who'd signed up to his first lesson. In contrast, Zatanna seemed to find a special pleasure in finding excuses to avoid him and rile him up even more. In the end, Dick ended up helping Zatanna with her tasks and then dragging her to the yoga studio, but the dark-haired woman drew the line at working through lunch. Dick let Megan and Zatanna drag him to a nearby deli for lunch. He listened with half an ear to their idle chitchat and chewed half-heartedly on his sandwich.

“Dick, are you okay? I know you’re nervous but your head is really in the clouds today,” Zatanna’s voice broke through his attention. Dick looked up to her grimacing at where some dressing from his sandwich was dripping down onto the table. Dick cursed and quickly wiped it up with a few tissues. 

“It’s nothing. I’m just really nervous, you know,” Dick muttered and took another bite of his sandwich to avoid talking when Zatanna gave him a look.

“Come on, you’ve practiced like six times already and that’s not even including the two back-to-back sessions you made me suffer through today,” Zatanna grumbled, making a show of wincing at moving her ‘sore’ muscles to flick him on the forehead with a finger.

“Yeah, but there’s going to be a lot more people at the real one,” Dick sighed and looked at Megan imploringly for some support. Megan gave him a comforting look and nodded at Zatanna.

“Yeah, we’ve had quite a few signups,” Megan said and Dick felt another burst of nerves.

“How many?” he asked apprehensively and Megan looked at him carefully.

“Around fifteen?” she said weakly and Dick paled.

“I mean! Not everyone shows up! It’s probably more like ten,” Megan added quickly, trying to reassure him but the damage was done. Dick whimpered and put his sandwich down on his plate so he could put his head in his hands.

“Oh come on, you’re going to crush it!” Zatanna said and nudged him in the shoulder. He raised his head to glare at her and then scarfed down the rest of his sandwich so he could run back to the gym and go over it just one more time. He left a long-suffering Zatanna and a worried Megan at the deli and went back to what amounted to him pacing a groove in the yoga studio floors.

“Nervous?” a voice said from the doorway and Dick turned from his latest circuit of the room to see Dinah looking at him in amusement. 

“That obvious?” Dick replied with a wince and Dinah chuckled.

“How about you help me with some administrative work to take your mind off it?” Dinah suggested and Dick looked at her in gratitude.

“Please!” he begged and followed a chuckling Dinah to the admin office. Time flew by in the admin office as he helped Dinah sort through what seemed to be way too much paperwork for a gym to have. Dick ended up learning a lot about managing a small business and found it a lot more refreshing than managing Wayne Enterprises had ever seemed. Before he knew it, it was 4:30 pm and he had to start setting up the studio for his first yoga lesson which would begin at 5 pm sharp.

He put his hands on his hips and surveyed the room, floors clean, mats set up, complimentary water bottles next to each mat… He couldn’t find anything missing and with a sigh, he figured he was as ready as he’d ever be.


	20. Eye Candy

As it turns out, Dick shouldn’t have worried about his yoga lessons. Dick was a performer by nature and any nerves he’d had dissipated when his first lesson began.

It did help that he’d planned it to a tee and of the eleven women he’d instructed on the first day, three had actually come up to thank him for being so attentive. He’d been touched and it had given him a newfound confidence which spurred him through the rest of the week. Megan had gushed about an uptick in sign-ups, which incited a new round of teasing from Zatanna. Secretly, with the way some of the women had been looking at him, Dick was inclined to agree. Well, being eye candy didn’t hurt if it meant more business for the gym, Dick reasoned.

As for Wally… Both of them had pretended nothing had happened but there was still a tinge of awkwardness to their encounters. Wally had begged off his earlier promise of taking Dick sightseeing on the weekend, claiming he had to help babysit his baby cousins. Dick had been a little disappointed, but Wally looked genuinely contrite when he’d told Dick, so it probably wasn’t an excuse. Wally had never been the sort to cop out of a confrontation, the redhead would rather face a problem head on than tiptoe around it.

 _Tiptoeing around problems is my own specialty_ , Dick thought self-deprecatingly. In any case, the lack of weekend plans had brought Dick to his current predicament.

“You have got to be kidding me…” Dick said to himself, staring aghast at the bare cupboards where utensils should be. There was a rusty frying pan in the far corner, but other than that, the cupboard beneath the stove was home to dust bunnies, a few plates that had seen better days and not much else.

“What do they eat?” Dick said incredulously, opening cupboard after cupboard and only spotting half-empty boxes of cereal (and not even the good kind), coffee mugs, a gigantic bag of coffee beans and some condiments. He put his hand on his hips and surveyed the kitchen, all cupboards open and airing out their mostly empty contents. He needed backup, and stat. He sighed and hoped that who he was going to call would be free on a Saturday morning. 

“Hey, Megan,” he said when she picked up after a minute of the phone ringing.

“Hi Dick! How’s your weekend going?” Megan replied.

“Ah, it could be better,” he sighed and Megan made a concerned noise.

“What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.

“Oh, nothing major. It’s just remember how I told you I wanted to take up cooking? Well turns out my roommates have … absolutely no utensils. I have no idea where to even start, would you… possibly be free to help me pick up some from that supermarket nearby?” he asked tentatively, mentally crossing his fingers.

“Ooh! Of course! Do you mind if Conner tags along?” she said brightly and there was some muffled speech in the background. Dick winced, he didn’t want Conner to be uncomfortable…

“I don’t mind but… I’m not like interrupting a date or something right? I know Conner doesn’t really like hanging out with strangers…” Dick said awkwardly.

“Don’t be stupid! You’re not a stranger! You see Conner at work all the time!” she admonished, and Dick chuckled.

“Alright. Alright. Thank you so much Meg, I owe you,” he said, feeling relieved and she laughed him off.

“We’ll meet you in the parking lot outside the mart in 15 minutes?” she said questioningly, and he was quick to agree with her. Thankfully, Megan and Conner lived nearby the gym and Central Mart was a few blocks away for them and for Dick. Dick sighed with relief and with one last look at the empty cupboards, he closed them all and left the apartment.

* * *

Dick saw Conner and Megan right away, the tall man standing out in the mass of parked cars like a sore thumb. He jogged up to them and waved when Megan spotted him. He couldn’t see Conner’s expression from where he was, but he could tell the man was standing stiffly. It was clear to him that Megan had probably dragged him here to get him to socialise with Dick. Dick bit his lip guiltily but figured Conner could have said no if he was really that uneasy.

“Hey! Thank you so much for coming. I’m really sorry to take up your weekend like this…” Dick said remorsefully and Megan rolled her eyes at him with a smile.

“Oh shush. I _love_ grocery shopping. It’s so fun! And Conner was saying we had to run out to the store soon anyway, so this works out really well for both of us,” Megan said happily and Conner nodded in agreement. To Dick’s delight, the taller man met Dick’s eyes briefly, and Dick counted it as progress even if Conner looked away quickly.

“So, what do you need?” Megan asked as the three of them walked towards the entrance.

“Oh… well. Everything,” Dick said with a sheepish look. Megan smiled at him in amusement.

“Frying pan? Pots? Spatulas? Cutlery?” she fired off quickly and Dick nodded rapidly.

“Yep! Definitely those, whatever the basics are… And groceries too. I’m only just starting to learn,” Dick said with a sideways grin, rubbing the back of his neck. Megan’s eyes lit up immediately.

“Ooh! Don’t worry. I’ll get you set up, I can share some of my recipes too!” she said and Dick smiled at her in relief, glad to have a friend to help him out in a new city. Conner was giving Megan a strange look that Dick didn’t really understand, but his expression fell away into his usual impassiveness when he noticed Dick’s eyes on him.

They walked through and Megan was a burst of energy, she quickly led him through the Mart to the utensils section where she helped him pick out frying pans, pots, spatulas, even a blender and a strainer. Dick had to physically pull her back from grabbing him a stand mixer as well, telling her he had no idea how to bake and it would just go to waste. Megan pouted but acquiesced in the end.

A few times in the endeavor, a helpful employee tried to approach them, but Megan shooed them away, deeming herself an expert. Dick couldn’t help but agree, looking at his trolley, which was full of gleaming utensils. Conner stood by stoically the whole time, giving his girlfriend some fond looks and reassuring her she had made the right choice a few times, but other than that he didn’t make much conversation with Dick, so it was very surprising when Megan left to get another trolley for groceries that he struck up conversation with Dick.

“You should know something,” Conner said, his voice jolting Dick out of his mental tally of how much the utensils would cost him.

“Oh?” Dick asked, eyes flicking to Conner who was looking at him gravely.

“Megan loves cooking but… she’s not really good at it,” Conner said with a grimace, eyes flicking around to see if his girlfriend was around. Dick’s eyebrows flew to his hairline. At his expression, Conner floundered a bit, mouth opening and closing and his expression twisting with guilt.

“I mean! She’s really good at baking. Her cookies are delicious… but her other recipes aren’t… well. You’ll see, I guess. I’m just warning you,” Conner said awkwardly as he rubbed his neck and he looked so much like a small child stuck in an overgrown man’s body that Dick couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“I… I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Thanks for the warning Conner,” he said with a smile. Conner seemed to relax and even shot Dick a tentative smile.

Conveniently, Megan came bounding back with a new trolley, wheels squeaking on the floor and then they set off towards the grocery section. At Megan’s instruction, Dick bought some staples, including rice, eggs, pasta, meat and some fresh produce but otherwise kept it light because he wasn’t sure how he was going to lug all of it back without a car.

Conner picked up some items in meat and produce as well, mentioning his training diet to Dick briefly when he thought to ask about the interesting choices in vegetables. The quiet, reticent dark-haired man became much more animated, gesticulating passionately about the benefits of the produce he’d chosen and how meal-prep was extremely important for professional bodybuilders.

Dick found himself genuinely interested and decided he could definitely improve his usual upper body regimen with Conner’s help. As a gymnast, Dick hadn’t really focused on building more muscle because it would hinder his flexibility, but he was open to the idea of improving his regimen in hopes that it would increase his endurance when it came to moves that needed more upper body strength.

Megan was looking at Conner with stars in her eyes the entire time the man spoke and Dick shot her a teasing smirk when she saw he’d noticed. She bit her lip, cheeks growing a little pink as she hung onto Conner’s arm and Dick looked at the couple fondly. He wondered briefly, if he’d ever have that with somebody… His thoughts immediately flashed to Wally but he didn’t dwell on them for long because he knew his situation was… a lot different. He’d spent a lot of his teen years wondering if Wally would have ended up dating him if Dick were a girl, but that wasn’t a train of thought he wanted to revisit as an adult. 

Without them noticing, two hours had passed by in a flurry of activity and Dick realised it was almost 1 o’ clock. Thankfully, they’d gathered everything they needed and made their way to checkout. They took their trolleys to the exit and then stopped, knowing it was time to deposit them. Dick looked at the two, very heavy bags he’d have to shoulder for a few blocks and winced.

“You’re not going to carry that on your own are you?” Megan squeaked, clearly having noticed Dick’s dilemma.

“Oh, well it’s not so bad. I only live a few blocks away,” Dick said and Megan shook her head rapidly.

“No way! Conner can help you. We live close by anyway,” she said emphatically and Dick opened his mouth to protest.

“You have your own bag,” he protested and Megan put her hands on her hips and gave him a reproachful look.

“It’s one bag, I can carry that one. Conner will help you with yours, won’t you Conner?” she asked but it was clear from her tone that “no” would not be an acceptable answer. Conner shrugged and before Dick could say anything grabbed a bag from Dick’s trolley. Dick sighed, he gave Megan and Conner a thankful look and picked up his other bag, and realised immediately Conner had picked up the much heavier bag containing utensils.

Dick was about to protest, but then he noticed Conner was barely breaking a sweat. In fact, the bag hung at his elbow and he looked so carefree about it that it might as well have been carrying a single carton of milk. _Bodybuilder, right._ Dick thought, eyeing Conner’s biceps with nothing short of amazement and then met Megan’s amused gaze. They set off towards Dick’s apartment, thankfully in the same direction as Megan’s own.

The walk felt much shorter with Megan and even Conner striking up conversation with him and they reached in no time. Dick let them in, he walked up the stairs and set his groceries down before opening the door with his keys. Conner and Megan helped deposit everything in the kitchen and Megan gasped in dismay when she saw all the empty cupboards Dick showed her. Dick laughed uproariously at her horrified expression and even Conner cracked a grin, clapping Dick on the shoulder to settle him down.

“Ooh, do you want me to help with lunch?” Megan asked excitedly and Dick’s eyes fell behind her to where Conner was slowly shaking his head.

“Oh, um. Actually, I got it covered for today! I really shouldn’t take up any more of your time,” Dick said quickly and Megan pouted.

“I _told_ you, you’re not taking up our time,” she started to say but then Conner put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Actually, I think we should head back,” Conner said quietly and Megan looked between Dick and Conner, conflicted. She met her boyfriend’s gaze and then slumped her shoulders in defeat.

“Yeah… Conner’s right. He can’t really eat anything we make anyway because of his special diet. I guess we’ll head back… but I’ll send you a few recipes!” she said earnestly. Dick laughed lightly and thanked her profusely for all her help before letting both Megan and Conner out of the apartment.

He went back to the kitchen and put his hands on his hips… Now to put all this where it belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buy 1 chapter get 1 free. :') 
> 
> Very similar to the buy 1 redhead get another redhead free deal that Dick has got going here.


	21. Domesticity

Without Megan to help him cook, there was only one other person Dick could call.

He deliberated over it for a while, pacing back and forth in the kitchen because he knew Alfred would have some disappointed words about how long Dick hadn’t called home. He finally psyched himself up to calling because calling Alfred would be tough, yes, but calling _Barbara_ after so long without a peep out of him was sure to lead to his absolute annihilation. He chewed on his lip as the phone rung, wondering if it was too late to cut the call when Alfred picked up.

“Master Richard? A pleasure to hear from you,” a familiar voice rung out and suddenly Dick missed Gotham _dearly_. He’d missed hearing that voice and he wished he was there in person, standing in the kitchen watching Alfred bake, telling him about the importance of measuring everything to its exact requirements in his regal, soothing voice.

“Alfred,” he said breathlessly and there was a muted silence on the line.

“How are you?” Alfred finally said, a note of sadness creeping into his voice. Dick felt a stab of guilt that Alfred had to get caught up in the middle of his fight with Bruce.

“I’m good. Really good actually. I’m… living in Central with Wally, do you remember him?” Dick said, trying to keep the conversation as light and cheerful as he could.

“Of course. Wallace was all you talked about in your childhood,” Alfred said lightly, but pointedly and Dick flushed a bit in embarrassment. He laughed a little because if Alfred was teasing him then he wouldn’t be too harsh in his disappointment in Dick for leaving Gotham without making amends with his adoptive father.

“Yeah… I have a job here now, I’m a yoga instructor at a gym nearby,” Dick added and he could feel Alfred’s pride over the phone.

“That’s wonderful, I’m proud of you,” Alfred said, the praise was genuine and effortless. Dick smiled widely, feeling warmth bloom in his chest. If only Bruce had been so open with his affections… maybe Dick would have stayed in Gotham. Dick sighed under his breath and pushed the thought aside. It was an old wound he wasn’t keen on re-opening.

“Thank you. Are you well?” Dick asked and waited with bated breath for Alfred’s response.

“Fit as a fiddle, Master Richard,” Alfred said promptly and Dick groaned.

“Could you please stop calling me Master Richard?” Dick complained and was lucky enough to hear a chuckle from Alfred.

“No, I’m sorry. Master Richard,” he added pointedly and Dick rolled his eyes. Then, another thought occurred to him.

“And… how’s Br-… How is he?” he said tentatively, with heart in his throat. There was silence over the line and Dick waited with bated breath.

“He is well, although, you must know he misses you dearly,” Alfred finally sighed.

Dick paused. He was regretful about the abrupt way he left Gotham but… He also wasn’t willing to call Bruce and apologise because he had nothing to apologise for. Just once, he wished his father would pick up the phone and be the first to give in, to actually admit to his faults and stop making Alfred be his mouthpiece for every one of his feelings.

“I miss him too,” Dick admitted, as the silence dragged on. It took the verbal admission to make him realise how true his own words were.

He missed how he’d have breakfast with Bruce in the morning, eating a bowl of his favorite sugar-laden cereal as Bruce shot him faux-disappointed looks over his newspaper. He missed the way he could just come into Bruce’s study and sit by him as the man read over his affairs, not a word exchanged between them but a level of silent comfort between them that he craved daily.

“Why don’t you call him?” Alfred asked, without inflection and yet Dick could still hear the disappointment in his tone, it was obvious after years of living with his caretaker.

“You know why,” Dick replied, refusing to be guilt-tripped in being the first to cave, again. He heard Alfred sigh and then mercifully, the man changed the topic.

“Then, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call, Master Richard?” he said almost playfully and Dick made an affronted noise.

“I can’t call just because I miss you?” Dick replied indignantly and was rewarded with a chuckle.

“Why yes, you can and I most certainly encourage it. However, there is a reason for this call, is there not?” Alfred said almost _snarkily_ and Dick laughed loudly.

“Alright, alright. You got me. I was wondering if you could tell me the recipe for that goulash we used to make together,” Dick asked.

Alfred was only too happy to tell him. 

* * *

After about two hours, _extremely_ detailed step by step instructions from Alfred and a few minutes of panic because he added way too much paprika… Dick finally, _finally_ succeeded in making a version of goulash that tasted similar enough to Alfred’s that the old man wouldn’t turn his nose up at it. Dick threw in a bunch of macaroni too, which he knew was a horrific action that would make his Romani ancestors roll over in their graves but he didn’t have the time _or_ energy to bake some bread to go with the beef stew, so he took the easy way out.

After the call ended, where the last hour was spent shamelessly gossiping with Alfred about Bruce and Selina’s on-and-off romance while the dish simmered, Dick felt bereft. He sighed listlessly and stirred the spatula through the stew, poking at the macaroni to see if had sufficiently softened. It looked perfect, it smelled heavenly and yet, the only thing Dick wanted was someone to share it with. Almost as if the universe had heard his call, he heard the main door rattle.

There were footsteps and then Roy showed up in the kitchen doorway, looking very intrigued and very confused. Dick laughed out loud at the almost dazed look in his eyes. Roy looked gaunt, he was wearing the same ratty hoodie he always seemed to be in and frankly he looked like he was a minute away from keeling over. With the way he was sniffing the air and staring at the pot, the redhead’s expression made Dick think of man who’d trekked through a desert only to find himself in an oasis, an oasis which he wasn’t sure was real or a mirage.

“You wanna taste?” Dick asked him, taking pity on him.

Dick was almost certain if Roy was standing any closer, he would be able to hear the man’s stomach growl. Roy snapped out of his trance at Dick’s voice and straightened his tired, slumped posture. He stood taller and schooled his expression but Dick could still see the absolute exhaustion dragging his broad shoulders down, and the ever-deepening circles beneath his eyes. He eyed the rust-colored stubble dotting Roy’s jawline and felt a pang of worry at how unkempt the man looked.

“Sure,” Roy said with a shrug and walked over to Dick nonchalantly. Dick grabbed a ladle and spooned some of the stew into it, then offered it to Roy. Roy, who, either because he was just too stupid-tired to note the angle of Dick’s hand, or really didn’t care what Dick thought, bent at the waist and put the ladle directly in his mouth instead of taking the ladle from him like Dick had intended. Dick felt a fluttering in his stomach as Roy made a pleased sound and slurped down the soup like a starving man, olive green eyes meeting Dick’s own widened ones, lips still pursed around the ladle.

“That… tastes fucking delicious,” Roy said raspily after straightening up. Dick tried not to stare at his lips, which was hard, because Roy's bottom lip was stained a little red. He leaned against the counter as Dick fumbled to put the ladle down. Thankfully, Roy didn’t notice because his eyes were trained on where the rest of the goulash bubbled away in the pot.

“You want some more? I definitely made enough for two,” Dick said and Roy snapped out of it. He looked at Dick, a little uncomfortable, but the fact that he was starving was glaringly obvious.

“I had a bit of a blunder, where I made it way too spicy. So then, I had to dilute it, and now it’s way too much for me to finish on my own,” Dick rambled on, trying to reassure the redhead. He smiled brightly when his tactic seemed to work and Roy’s tense shoulders relaxed a little.

“Sure…I guess, if you made too much. It’ll just go to waste,” Roy muttered, but it almost sounded like he was talking to himself, trying to reason with himself rather than with Dick. Dick suppressed a fond laugh at the way his eyes kept flicking longingly to the pot.

“Come on, it's the least I could do. You look exhausted,” Dick said lightly and was rewarded with a half-smile from Roy.

Dick wondered a little deliriously how the redhead could look so handsome, when quite frankly, Roy looked like he’d just rolled out of a dumpster, just the hint of a smile could transform the man’s face. Dick found himself a little enraptured by the expression. Dick grabbed two bowls to distract himself, willing his heartbeat to slow down and hoping fervently for the incessant butterflies in his stomach to drown in stomach acid.

 _I really need to get a hold of himself… one smile from an attractive guy and I’m ready to give it all up_. _It's pathetic_ , he thought self-deprecatingly.

Dick set the two bowls of goulash on the kitchen table and realised Roy had set two glasses of water on the table without prompting. Dick nodded in thanks at Roy, who just shrugged a little awkwardly before they sat down to eat in companionable silence. Dick couldn’t help but flick his eyes up to Roy every now and then, feeling a swell of pride at his blissful expression, eyes half-lidded as he wolfed down the meal. Dick knew even a bruised apple was delicious when you were starving but when Roy got up to get a second helping, he figured he was allowed to feel a little pride, right?

“Good?” Dick couldn’t help but ask when Roy sat down with his second bowl.

“Fishing for compliments?” Roy snorted and Dick grinned at him.

“Guilty,” Dick said with a laugh and Roy rolled his eyes.

“Already told you it was delicious, Grayson,” Roy muttered, glancing at him gratefully as he took another bite. 

“Thanks, I’ll let Alfred know his one-on-one coaching was a success,” Dick chuckled.

“Alfred?” Roy asked, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.

“Oh, my caretaker. Well, butler, really,” Dick admitted, bracing himself for judgement. Surprisingly, none came.

“Sounds like a swell guy, if he took the time to help you out,” Roy said with that heart-stopping half-smile and Dick couldn’t help but look at him in surprise.

“Yeah, he is. He’s like a grandfather to me,” Dick said softly, a little loneliness coloring his tone. He sighed, and took another bite, willing it to taste just a little more like Alfred’s, wishing to be transported back to Gotham for just a moment.

“Glad you got someone like that,” Roy replied, eyes looking a little duller than Dick remembered. Dick smiled a little sympathetically, but Roy looked away, jaw clenched.

“What about Oliver?” Dick asked tentatively. Roy cleared his throat and shrugged. He gulped down his glass of water but didn’t walk away from the conversation like Dick expected him to. Roy didn’t seem like the sharing type.

“We’re estranged,” Roy said simply, there was a pause, where he glared holes into the table and clenched his hand around the glass of water so hard Dick was afraid it’d shatter. Then abruptly Roy continued talking, as if Dick’s simple question had opened the floodgates.

“I mean, it’s been years. He keeps sending me money, I just send it back and close the account. Man can’t seem to get a hint... Don’t know how the fuck he keeps finding my bank accounts…” Roy grumbled and Dick could see the redhead grinding his teeth in annoyance.

“He must care about you,” Dick said uncertainly when Roy fell silent, and bit the inside of his lip, hoping he hadn’t overstepped. Dick liked to think he read people well, and from what he’d read of Roy, he seemed volatile, like a firecracker. Dick didn’t want to pry too far and set him off.

“Maybe. It’s complicated,” Roy sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose, elbow resting on the table.

“I don’t want his damn money,” Roy mumbled under his breath but Dick caught it anyway. He chose not to pursue it and looked at Roy worriedly. The man was almost sagging into the table, elbow on the verge of collapse. He looked like he was in desperate need of some sleep.

“Hey, you look exhausted. You should go ahead, I’ll clean up,” Dick said and Roy straightened up to protest. The fire was back in his olive green eyes but Dick cut him off before the man could really get going.

“No buts, we have an agreement remember? No rent but I do the chores,” Dick said, letting a hint of steel creep into his voice. Roy’s mouth snapped shut and he stared at Dick with a hint of reluctant respect in his eyes.

“Alright. Thanks for lunch,” he said, clearly too tired to argue. He gave Dick an uncharacteristically dorky salute that Dick couldn’t help but laugh at, before he trailed out of the kitchen to probably go pass out in his bedroom. 

Dick grabbed the plates and started washing them absently, mind still turning over his conversation with Roy. He thought about gaunt eyes and tired, slouching shoulders, and couldn’t help but worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES, ROY IS BACK, REJOICE.


	22. Revelations

Dick met Kaldur on a Monday evening, right at the tail end of one of his yoga lessons and Kaldur made a _beautiful_ first impression. Dick was trapped in a group of tittering women - their yoga-related questions a very poor disguise for their blatant flirting - when a tall, dark skinned man seamlessly inserted himself into the group like he’d known Dick his entire life, then skilfully, and oh-so-politely extricated him from that mess.

“Hi, you must be Dick,” the man said, after the group of women reluctantly left. He offered Dick a polite handshake which he returned with enthusiasm. 

“Yeah, thank you so much for that, by the way,” Dick said, absolutely relieved because he knew for a fact Zatanna and Megan would have left him to suffer through that.

“I’m Kaldur’ahm, but you may call me Kaldur. I am a volunteer here,” he said, affably and polite to a fault. Dick quickly realised ‘polite’ is the man’s default setting and frankly it just made him like Kaldur even more.

Kaldur is a little taller than Dick, and well-built, though not as much as Connor, but he doesn’t loom over him. The dark-skinned man has light hair shaved close to his head, and deep, soulful eyes that radiate calm and maturity. Even if Kaldur hadn’t made a shining first impression, his countenance alone is enough to make Dick instantly relax in his presence.

“Oh! Dinah mentioned you before! She said you help out with Self Defense,” Dick said, lighting up with recognition at the vague memory of his first meeting with Dinah. Kaldur smiled and nodded humbly in response.

“Yes, I help with the practical aspect of the lessons,” Kaldur replied and Dick grinned.

“You mean you’re the poor guy who gets thrown on the mat by Artemis? I definitely don’t envy that position,” Dick joked and Kaldur’s eyes light up so quickly with delight at the mention of Artemis, that it has Dick wondering if there’s more to that relationship.

“Yes, but it is work I do with pride. It is very gratifying when her students are able to overpower me. Artemis is a skilled instructor, she teaches them well on how to protect themselves,” Kaldur replied, chest puffed with pride. 

Dick smiled brightly, he felt heartened at the genuine respect Kaldur had for Artemis and women as a whole. It was very clear to him that Kaldur was attracted to Artemis, but Dick didn’t find himself all that disappointed. _I’ve got my hands a little full at the moment_ , he thought a little guiltily, thinking about the two thick-headed redheads he lived with.

“Oh, Kaldur, there you are. We should start setting up,” Artemis called out as she strode up to them. She came to a stop right next to Kaldur, shoulder to shoulder and Dick inwardly raised an eyebrow at the proximity. _Oh yeah, there’s definitely something there_ , he thought and earmarked the observation for later, when he had time to grill Zatanna about it.

“I see you’ve met Dick,” Artemis said with a smirk and nudged Kaldur in the shoulder.

“Yes, he is friendly, just as you told me,” Kaldur said, unconsciously leaning into Artemis. Dick tried not to snicker and desperately looked around for a head of long, black hair. Unfortunately, Zatanna was nowhere to be seen.

“Me? You should have seen this guy. He came in and saved me from a group of flirty students like a knight in shining armor,” Dick chortled and Artemis outright laughed.

“Oh, yeah. That sounds like Kaldur, alright,” she snorted and Kaldur rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Anyway, Dick, we’ll catch you later. You can sit in on our seminar, since you’re done with yoga. Maybe you can be my second volunteer?” Artemis asked, a devious glint in her eye and Dick shuddered.

“No way, I definitely learned my lesson the last time,” he said with two hands raised in surrender and Artemis turned away with a laugh. She dragged Kaldur with him, arm looped through his elbow, the dark-skinned man barely spared a glance and a polite nod for Dick before he followed her, like a moth to a flame.

“Zatanna… Oh Zatanna, wherefore art thou Zatanna,” Dick muttered to himself, face lighting with glee when he spotted her. He rushed over to her, where she was making conversation with a woman he didn't recognize.

“Hey Zee,” Dick said brightly and threw an arm around her shoulder. She stopped mid-conversation and gave him a suspicious look at his enthusiasm.

“Hey… Dick. Oh this is Raquel, she’s my roommate actually,” Zatanna gestured towards the African American woman she was talking to. Dick turned to face her and didn’t miss the way her eyes roved over him in interest.

“Hey! I’m Dick. I teach yoga,” he said genially and Raquel grinned.

“Raquel Ervin, _very_ nice to meet you,” she drawled and added a wink for good measure.

“Raq… you’re literally engaged,” Zatanna said, looking absolutely unimpressed and Raquel cackled.

“Oh come on, let a girl have some fun before she gets tied down!” Raquel teased and punched Zatanna in the shoulder playfully. Then her eyes flicked between Dick and Zatanna and she smirked.

“Mmm, unless… you got an eye on him yourself?” Raquel said and bat her eyes innocently. Zatanna gaped at her and shoved her in the shoulder.

“Hey! You have no shame. He’s gay, by the way,” Zatanna said with a roll of her eyes but her face was a little pink. Dick looked at her suspiciously and leaned a little closer to confirm. Zatanna pointedly didn’t meet his eyes and shrugged his arm off her shoulder. He grinned widely, realising there may be some truth to Raquel’s words.

“Aww, the hot ones always are,” Raquel whined with a pout, distracting him with his line of thought. Dick laughed sheepishly and Zatanna just shook her head.

“Anyway, I got to get to Artemis’s seminar. You know I love to see Kaldur get roughed up a little,” Raquel whispered salaciously, eyes flicking to Kaldur’s tall form a few paces away, where he and Artemis were doing stretches.

Zatanna gave a resigned sigh and Dick started to realise why her favorite past time was making fun of him. Clearly, she spent all day being made fun of by Raquel, all that frustration had to go somewhere. 

“Seems like someone has a crush on me,” Dick said in a singsong tone, because it was time to even the odds.

“Oh my god. That was _before_ I found out you liked dick,” Zatanna groaned, putting her head in her hands. Dick guffawed.

“Hey, don’t be like that. If it’s any consolation... if I was straight, I’d date you in a heartbeat,” Dick teased, but tacked on a smile because the comment was genuine. He clicked with Zatanna in a way that was hard to find.

“ _Please_ , that’s if you can get a date,” Zatanna said loftily but her ensuing smile definitely reached her eyes.

“Somebody’s high maintenance. Guess it’s a good thing I like dick,” Dick muttered and threw his arm around Zatanna’s shoulders after she playfully shoved him away.

“Speaking of crushes. Kaldur and Artemis, what’s that about?” Dick whispered conspiratorily in her ear and Zatanna burst into laughter. She turned her face sideways to face him, eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Catch on fast, don’t you? Yeah, there’s definitely a little somethin’ somethin’ between those two,” Zatanna whispered back, voice hushed and blue eyes wide with exaggerated drama.

“I knew it!” Dick said and flung his gaze back to where Artemis was demonstrating how to break out of a hold. Kaldur’s hold on her was light but still firm, but it was telling the way his eyes were trained on her face, not once straying to the circle of women sitting around them on the mats.

“Hey, don’t you dare mention it around Artemis though. She will literally chew your head off,” Zatanna said warningly and Dick grimaced.

“Noted,” Dick muttered and then let Zatanna drag him along to where Raquel was sitting and waving at them to join.

* * *

Dick was very impressed by the end of the Self Defense lesson. Artemis was a force of nature and it was clear to everyone that Kaldur was absolutely enraptured by the blonde. Dick couldn’t help but wince every time the man got thrown down to the mat, but Kaldur got up with a smile every time, so the sympathy pains weren’t too severe.

Mostly, Dick found his respect for Artemis increasing even more, because the way she adapted her teaching style to each of her students was admirable. She gave gentle pointers to the more nervous pupils and a firm hand to more confident students, goading them into harder and harder maneuvers. Kaldur seemed to adapt to Artemis’s changing styles with the fluidity of water and together, they were a seamless, awe-inspiring duo.

“Dick! Disappointed you didn’t join the fun,” Artemis called to him after most of the students bar Raquel had cleared out. Dick chuckled apprehensively and Artemis laughed uproariously at his expression.

“Sorry! We’re not all as brave as Kaldur,” Dick called back and then walked over to said man, who was talking to Raquel and Zatanna.

“Hi again,” Dick said, stepping into the close ring of people. Raquel lit up with delight and turned her attention way from an awkward Kaldur to Dick. She bombarded him with questions about him and his life in Gotham, Dick answered them happily, there was something about Raquel’s energy that was contagious, like Zatanna’s. He later pointed out as much.

“I can definitely see why you’re roommates,” Dick said to Zatanna and Raquel, both grinned.

“How’s your _roommate_ , by the way,” Zatanna said innocently but Raquel perked up, clearly she was fluent in _Zatanna_.

“He’s fine, and so is the other one,” Dick said sweetly, with flinty eyes. Zatanna looked at him with a spark of interest.

“Hold on, you have _two_ roommates? How big is your place?” Raquel asked before Zatanna could, and Zatanna nodded in agreement. Kaldur was surveying the conversation with calm, polite interest but not pressing Dick for any answers.

“Oh, it’s… uh not that big,” Dick said with a wince, thinking about Wally being forced to share a bedroom with him.

“Ouch, I get it. Everyone starts out the same way,” Raquel said sympathetically but Zatanna, Zatanna had that glint in her eye.

“Who’s your _other_ roomie?” she asked with a grin and Dick narrowed his eyes at her warningly. _Not in front of them_ , he tried to communicate mentally but Zatanna’s grin did not die down.

“He’s more like Wally’s roommate. Well, before I moved in anyway. His name’s Roy Harper,” Dick said nonchalantly. Next to him, Kaldur perked up and turned his way.

“Roy Harper Queen? He’s one of my closest friends,” Kaldur said and Dick looked at him in shock.

“Huh, that’s the one. Small world,” Dick stuttered and Kaldur nodded, his shocked expression a reflection of Dick's own.

“He didn’t tell me of any new roommates. Although… it has been a while since we last spoke,” Kaldur said thoughtfully, looking a little downtrodden. Dick frowned slightly, Raquel and Zatanna shared a concerned look.

“He keeps busy,” Dick said finally and Kaldur relaxed.

“That is true,” he said with a nod and the tension eased a little.

“Well, love to talk, but we got to go! Zee, you’re on dinner duty,” Raquel said and Zatanna whined.

“Aw, come on. You’re so much better at cooking than me,” Zatanna said with a pout but Raquel dragged her off by the ear, muttering about how being good at cooking didn’t mean she liked "busting her ass in the kitchen.” Dick chuckled, thinking about the two grueling hours he’d spent making goulash… even if the payoff had been worth it... the payoff being Roy’s small half-smile. Dick dithered, he looked at Kaldur and wondered if it would be weird to ask Kaldur questions about the elusive redhead.

“Hey, I’ve cleaned up. You want to go change?” Artemis said, bounding over to them.

“Sure. Dick and I were just speaking about mutual friends,” Kaldur said and Dick looked at him in confusion at the cryptic statement. Kaldur didn’t meet his eyes, which made Dick even more suspicious.

“Hmm, mutual friends? Anybody I’d know, Dick?” she asked absently as she unwrapped the tape around her hands.

“Roy Harper? He’s my roommate,” Dick answered and Artemis suddenly stilled mid-movement.

“Hold on. Roy? Roy Harper Queen?” Artemis said quickly, her eyes narrowed.

“Um.. yeah? Do you know him?” Dick asked curiously.

“Know him? _Know him?_ ” Artemis huffed, grey eyes sparking with anger.

Dick took half a step back, not understanding her reaction. At her side, Kaldur had an uncomfortable expression on his face and he raised his hand, about to put it on Artemis’s shoulder. It hovered there for a few moments, uncertainly, then dropped to his side.

“Yeah, I _know_ him. He’s the guy who ran off with my _sister_ ,” she sneered. Dick stiffened.

_Roy has a girlfriend? And… his girlfriend is Artemis’s sister?_

Dick felt disappointment settle in his chest, wondering how he’d misread the signals so completely. Roy was straight and Dick… Dick was a selfish bastard because he was currently thinking about how disappointed he was that his attraction to Roy couldn't possibly be returned by the redhead and not in the slightest about how Roy apparently had a difficult history with Artemis.

“I-…” he started then stopped when he realised he had no idea what to say. The fire in Artemis’s eyes dimmed a little and her shoulders relaxed slightly when she sighed.

“Sorry. It’s not like you’re the one who… Anyway, it’s not like you’re friends with him. He’s just your roommate right?” Artemis said, looking at him intently. Dick gave her an uncomfortable look. Suddenly, he felt guilty with the knowledge that he and Roy had started to get along. Artemis’s eyes narrowed and her expression soured.

“Right… Of course. It’s fine,” she said and paused, looking like the exact opposite of her words was true.

They stood there silently for a few minutes, Artemis’s eyes on the floor as she stewed on something. Kaldur was standing stock still with tension, muscles pulled taut as if readying for a fight. Dick glanced between the two, feeling like a storm was brewing and he was about to be caught in the crossfire.

“It’s not like you knew and were _still_ friends with him…” Artemis said bitterly, snapping her head up with fiery grey eyes turned towards Kaldur. Kaldur looked at her almost sorrowfully, his eyes pleading for something Dick couldn’t quite parse with the limited information that had been revealed to him.

“Artemis,” Kaldur said, quietly, imploringly and Artemis shook her head. She turned away from the man with a sneer and walked away quickly, ponytail swinging with her aggressive gait and body vibrating with anger. Kaldur’s eyes followed her figure guiltily and then turned back to Dick.

“I’m sorry for that. It’s… it’s complicated,” Kaldur sighed and then turned away as well, walking in the direction Artemis had gone.

Dick stared after them, feeling out of his depth and mind still turning over what Artemis had revealed to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *twirls mustache* And ze plot thickens. 
> 
> Anybody excited about Kaldur? Waterbae is precious and must be protected at all costs.


	23. Charged

Dick turned Artemis’s words over and over in his mind with fervent curiosity but he didn’t know how he would even begin to broach the topic with Roy. He walked home in a haze of preoccupation that was broken unceremoniously when he came face to face with Wally the minute he inserted his keys and jiggled the apartment door open.

“Oh, hey. Sorry, I didn’t know you were already back,” Dick said, surprised.

“Yeah, slow day at the lab. Heard the keys in the lock so I thought I’d uh… open it,” Wally said, rubbing a hand through the back of his hand as he did.

They stood in the doorway for a few moments, atmosphere heavy with the strained, awkward energy that had followed them around ever since that night they’d almost… Dick’s eyes met Wally’s, like they’d mutually shared the same train of thought and Wally stepped back quickly.

“Hah! Sorry I kept standing there, like an idiot. Come in!” Wally sputtered then turned quickly, walking back inside.

Dick walked in the apartment, chewing on his lip and closed the door. He took a breath and steeled himself, before he turned and sat down next to Wally on the couch, where the redhead was fiddling with the TV remote.

“Oh! You wanna see pictures of my baby cuzzos?” Wally said all of a sudden, turning to Dick with a grin, looking almost relieved.

Dick gave him a small smile and nodded, pleased at the note of normalcy. Wally quickly whipped out his phone and shifted closer. Dick tried not to stiffen on instinct when their thighs pressed together, because Wally’s eyes were trained on his phone and the redhead didn’t seem to notice the touch.

“That’s Dawn, and that’s Don,” Wally said, pointing at two chubby faces. Dick couldn’t help the grin that took over his face, because it was a picture of Aunt Iris, holding her babies, one in the crook of each arm. She looked tired but well, figure still round post-pregnancy and just looking at her reminded Dick of lazy summers at the Allens, which was instantly comforting.

“They look exactly the same, if it wasn’t for the hair… I wouldn’t be able to tell who’s who,” Dick gushed as Wally flicked through pictures.

There were a lot of closeups of Dawn and Don, interspersed with a harried looking Uncle Barry and gently smiling Aunt Iris. Dick made Wally pause on a picture of him, where Dawn had a fistful of Wally’s hair, and Don was hugged to Wally’s chest, a burp cloth laying on Wally’s shoulder. Dick laughed Wally’s pained expression in the photo, which was blurred, like whoever had taken it was laughing as they did. 

“Seems like Dawn has a tight grip,” Dick said with a grin and Wally blew out a breath of air.

“Like you would not _believe_. I swear, I thought I’d go bald,” Wally complained and Dick burst into laughter.

“Oh my God, you would _not_ look good bald,” Dick said with a snicker and Wally pouted at him.

“Hey… I take offense to that. I could totally rock it,” Wally argued, nudging Dick in the shoulder. Dick only laughed harder at the mental image of a bald Wally.

“No way, you could _not_ rock that look,” Dick said through a round of snickering.

Wally just looked at him, green eyes bright, mouth pulled in a half-grin until Dick’s laughter died down. Wally’s phone rested in his lax grip, screen going dark, and Dick stared back, suddenly finding it hard to breath.

“Yeah, yeah you’re probably right,” Wally said softly, eyes still trained on Dick, grin falling away. Dick’s mouth parted but he couldn’t find any words to respond with, not with the way Wally just kept _looking_ at him. There was that charge in the air again, Dick could almost feel it crackle between them.

Then suddenly, the apartment door slammed open and hit the wall with a crash, breaking the moment.

Dick and Wally sprang apart and both their eyes snapped to the door, where Roy strode in, looking wild-eyed and livid. Dick stared with wide eyes as Roy, seemingly entirely unaware of their presence put his head in his hands and pulled viciously at his hair.

“Fuck her. _FUCK her!_ ” Roy muttered, then yelled, and slammed a fist into the wall.

Wally flinched and his hand fell onto Dick’s instinctually. Dick gripped back, heart in his throat, feeling shaken and more than a little apprehensive. Roy pulled his fist out of the plaster, breathing heavily and then finally seemed to realise he had an audience. Shocked olive-green eyes flicked from Wally, to Dick and then down between them, before Roy’s expression twisted and he ignored them both, heading straight to his bedroom and slamming the door resolutely.

Silence descended and all Dick could hear for a few minutes was their breaths. Dick slowly extricated his hand from Wally’s and the redhead turned to face him.

“I… I think maybe we should… We should go to sleep,” he said quietly and glanced warily in the direction of Roy’s bedroom. Dick nodded shakily, they washed up and silently went to bed, where both of them lay awake side-by-side, for what could have been an hour or three.

“He’s… not usually like that,” Wally finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was low, and he sounded confused. Dick turned to him but couldn’t see his expression in the dark.

“I… I figured,” Dick whispered back but his brows were furrowed. He remembered Artemis’s vehement reaction to finding out Roy Harper was his roommate and it made his head spin with a whirlwind of thoughts.

“I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow,” Wally said resolutely and Dick smiled in the dark.

“You don’t have to,” Dick said softly and felt the bed shift as Wally turned to face him. Dick lay still and just listened to Wally breath.

“I will,” Wally said protectively and a hand came to rest on Dick’s in the dark. Wally’s fingers gripped his tightly and Dick closed his eyes.

“Okay. Good night,” Dick whispered and he knew, he knew he was taking the easy out.

If Dick was a braver man, he’d address whatever it is that was developing between him and Wally… but he wasn’t, so Dick stayed silent. He lay awake for a long time listening to Wally sleep, thinking about Roy, a wall away. 

* * *

Dick woke up the next morning with his fingers still intertwined with Wally’s.

For a long time, he considered not letting go but his eyes fell on the alarm clock and he extricated himself with a wistful sigh. He had to go to work and so did Wally. Dick tiptoed past Roy’s bedroom and took a shower. When he came back, Wally was sitting awake in bed, elbows on his knees and face in his hands. Wally rubbed his face with a sigh, he startled when he looked up to see Dick standing in the bedroom doorway.

“Oh! Good morning,” Wally said with a faint smile, resting his chin in his palms.

“Good morning, you’re up early,” Dick said and smiled back tentatively.

“Yeah, didn’t sleep all that well,” Wally replied and they dissolved into a tense silence.

Dick shuffled his feet awkwardly, then went to put the towel in the hamper. He was suddenly glad he’d taken his clothes into the bathroom with him, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be half-naked in front of Wally right now.

“You see Roy?” Wally piped up and Dick stilled.

“I… didn’t check,” Dick said slowly and turned to face Wally with a wary look.

“I’ll check,” Wally said with a mulish expression, brows furrowed and stood up.

“Wait! You really don’t have to. It was probably a one-time thing. You did say he’s never done that before,” Dick said hastily.

He didn’t want to cause a fight between Wally and his roommate, and it’s not like Roy had punched either of them. While Dick wanted to avoid a confrontation, Wally’s unyielding expression and furious eyes screamed the opposite. 

“Yeah, doesn’t mean its cool though. I’m talking to him,” Wally said firmly and walked out.

Dick scrambled after him in an attempt to stop him, but Roy’s bedroom wasn’t all that far, so he came out in the hallway to Wally rapping sharply on the door. Dick watched nervously, standing by Wally’s bedroom door a few paces away but there was no response. Wally’s brows furrowed in annoyance and his hands fell to the door handle. He turned it and flung the door open, mouth open and ready for a tirade before it snapped shut.

“What?” Dick asked, staring at the rigid line of Wally’s body.

“He’s not here,” Wally scoffed and shook his head. Dick slumped in relief.

Wally turned to face him and leaned against the wall with crossed arms. He looked lost, and he was tapping his fingers against his elbow, almost vibrating, like he didn’t know what to do with all that energy he’d worked up. 

“Breakfast?” Wally asked and emerald eyes met Dick’s hopefully. Dick thought about Wally’s fingers, intertwined with his. 

“Um… I have to get to work, actually,” he said quietly and Wally’s face fell.

“Right, well. See you later,” Wally muttered and shouldered past Dick to go back into his bedroom.

Dick bit his lip and considered retracting his statement, considered going back in and telling Wally he’d changed his mind. It wouldn’t even be a lie, they didn’t have dinner last night and Dick was definitely hungry. He’d stocked up the fridge on the weekend, they could sit down and eat an actual meal together… but then Dick remembered that charge in the air, right before Roy had come in and he faltered.

He grabbed his wallet and left for work, feeling strangely guilty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And the award for Emotional Cockblock goes to Roy Fuckin' Harper. Speech? 
> 
> Dick is so woefully stuck between Roy and Wally right now and honestly I'm not even sorry. Ok I'm a little sorry.


	24. Choices

Roy didn’t show up the entire week, and at Dick’s insistence, Wally gave up trying to call up Roy by Tuesday. Roy was AWOL and Wally… Wally was avoiding him. By the third time Wally came home late enough to miss dinner, claiming he had to work “overtime” … Dick caught the hint. Dick didn’t realise how lonely he really was without Wally until he had to eat dinners alone, without Wally’s rambles, without his banter, without the redhead talking with his mouth full. Dick didn’t know which felt worse, Roy’s absence, which felt like the calm before a storm or his best friend’s continued avoidance of him.

“What’s up with you lately?” Zatanna asked and her eyes were sharp and unavoidable across the table.

She accosted him at lunch on Thursday, when it was just them because Megan and Conner had both taken a half day. Normally Dick would be delighted to spend his lunch gossiping with Zatanna about gym members, but try as he might, Dick’s sour mood still bled over into his workday.

“Nothing,” Dick mumbled in response and hid himself away behind a bite of avocado toast.

“It’s not nothing. Dick, I’ve known you for two weeks and you’ve been nothing but a ray of sunshine. But ever since Monday, you’ve been walking around like you’ve got your own personal storm cloud. What’s up?” Zatanna snapped and it felt like a slap to the face. Dick frowned and took another bite in lieu of answering.

“Ouch… and I thought we were friends,” Zatanna muttered and Dick winced at the blatant guilt trip. He sighed and put his piece of toast down.

“You remember my roommate?” Dick said and Zatanna visibly perked up.

“Which one?” she asked, needlessly because she knew which one, damn it. Dick rolled his eyes.

“Wally, my childhood best friend,” Dick clarified and he could see Zatanna’s smirk even though she tried to hide it behind her spoon.

“Mhm, what about him?” Zatanna said innocently, eyes wide and Dick gave her an unimpressed look.

“Drop the act, Zee,” Dick groaned and took a vicious bite of his toast. Zatanna raised her hands in surrender.

“Alright, alright. You two have a fight?” she asked. Dick paused andmulled over his answer. Whatever had happened between him and Wally, it wasn’t a fight… A fight would have involved communication and there was a distinct lack of communication between them right now.

“No… not exactly,” he mumbled and rest his chin in his palm. Zatanna stared at him oddly but waited patiently for him to find his words, instead of her usual goading. Dick sighed, he had no choice, he was going to have to face the inevitable teasing.

“Well.,, We’ve always been friends but I came out to him recently and we’ve been having these… moments,” Dick said finally.

The immediate flash of glee in Zatanna’s eyes made him want to throw the salt shaker at her. Thankfully, and rather uncharacteristically, Zatanna didn’t shoot for the low-hanging fruit. Instead, she knit her fingers and rest her chin on them, she leaned forward and gave him an intent, neutral expression he found highly suspicious. 

“What’s the problem? Don’t you like him?” she asked, looking like she already knew the answer to her second question. Dick chewed on his lip and debated over giving a straight answer or a roundabout one. He settled on the straight answer, only because he had a feeling Zatanna would see right through him.

“I’ve always liked him,” Dick sighed and Zatanna’s expression softened. 

“Oh, so it’s like that,” Zatanna said gently and leaned back to give him space.

 _That… was unexpected,_ Dick thought.

“What, no jokes?” Dick asked with a weak laugh. Zatanna gave him an odd smile.

“Nah. Been there, done that,” she said a little sadly. Dick’s brows furrowed.

“What do you mean?” he asked and Zatanna looked away before answering.

“I was in love with a friend for a long time. We got together, and it was great for a while but… It didn’t end well. I lost my boyfriend and my best friend on the same day,” Zatanna said quietly. Dick put his hand on hers and squeezed lightly and she turned to give him a shaky smile.

“Hey, it was a long time ago. But…” Zatanna trailed off, looking pained but stone-cold serious in a way that made Dick feel a frisson of discomfort. It was a somber expression, one he wasn’t used to seeing on her.

“You need to decide, if his friendship means more to you than… really being with him would,” Zatanna said on an exhale, but her voice was firm and her expression was resolute.

Dick stared at her, fingers clutching hers and the echo of Zatanna’s words followed him home long after they finished work.

* * *

On Friday, Dick left work early even though MMA Night was his favorite day of the week. Megan, Artemis, Dinah and even Conner expressed their disappointment in him leaving early but Zatanna just gave him a knowing look. He’d turned over what Zatanna said in his mind all day and by Friday afternoon, Dick had made a decision. Dick sat on the couch and waited patiently until Wally came back home. He had nowhere to be tomorrow and Dick was tired of Wally slipping into bed when Dick was already fast asleep. Dick would stay up today and he was going to fix this.

Dick looked up from the show he was only half-watching when keys jiggled in the lock around 10 pm. Wally opened the door and froze when he saw Dick. Dick crossed his arms over his chest and stared back defiantly. He couldn’t help but notice how haggard the redhead looked, dark circles forming beneath his eyes, skin pale, even his hair looked limp and bedraggled. Wally was clearly working himself to the bone in an effort to avoid Dick.

“Hey,” Wally said, then put his keys down and toed off his shoes.

“Hi,” Dick replied, and wondered how Wally would avoid him this time. Would he head straight to the bedroom, claiming exhaustion? Would he hide in the bathroom and use freshening up as his latest excuse?

Wally did neither, he walked tiredly over to the couch and sat down beside Dick. Dick noticed Wally had left a gap between them and resisted the childish urge to shuffle closer just to spite him.

“Long day?” Dick said nonchalantly and Wally hummed an affirmative.

They dissolved into silence, where both of them pretended to watch the show playing on Netflix that neither of them had _ever_ put on. After ten minutes of silence, Dick finally had enough. 

“Why are you avoiding me?” Dick snapped and turned to face Wally. Wally turned to him with furrowed brows.

“I’m not,” he muttered and Dick glared at him hotly.

“You’re lying,” Dick retorted with a scowl. He met Wally’s annoyed gaze until the redhead shrugged.

“Seemed like that’s what you wanted,” Wally intoned, flippantly. Dick grabbed Wally’s upper arm and pulled the man to face him.

“How do you know what I want? If you didn’t even ask?” Dick said, demanded. Wally tried to shrug his arm out of Dick’s grip and Dick fumed silently.

“You made it pretty fucking obvious, Dick,” Wally snapped back accusingly. Dick let go of his arm, feeling a stab of hurt.

“It’s not. It’s not what I wanted,” Dick said quietly and turned away. They fell into a tense silence and Dick felt lost, felt despondent because for the first time in his life, he didn’t know how to get through to Wally.

“Dick…” Wally said with a sigh. Dick turned to face him carefully, bracing himself for.. for he didn’t know what.

“I…,” Wally started to say, then stopped, expression twisting. Wally looked like he was trying to prepare himself, brows furrowed, forehead lined with stress.

Dick felt anxiety bubble up in his chest when Wally turned and pulled Dick’s hand between both of his. Wally’s eyes were bright and they held Dick’s own with the same intensity he'd directed at him lately. Dick clenched the fingers of his free hand in the fabric of the sofa, the palm in Wally’s warm grip going clammy. 

“Dick, I - ” Wally started to say, with a determined look.

Dick’s anxiety hit a crescendo and Zatanna’s words rang in his head. He cut Wally off before the redhead could say anything.

“Wally. Your… Your friendship means a lot to me, you know that right?” Dick said quickly and Wally’s face fell. Wally looked discombobulated for a few minutes, mouth clicking shut. 

Dick stamped down the guilt he felt, stamped down every part of him that was screaming at him for ruining everything. He’d thought about it continuously and he couldn’t bear the thought of ever losing Wally as a friend. Dick waited with bated breath as Wally looked at him searchingly. Finally, the redhead’s expression softened into a smile.

“Yeah. I know. Your friendship means a lot to me too,” Wally said, and let Dick’s hand go and it fell onto the gap between them. Dick swallowed thickly, tried not to think about how cold his hand felt when it wasn’t wrapped tight within both of Wally’s. Wally slapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you, man,” Wally said sheepishly. 

“It’s alright. We’re good now, right?” Dick asked quickly, a little scared.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Wally said brightly and Dick relaxed.

“Anyway, what the _fuck_ are you watching? I’ve never seen this show in my life,” Wally exclaimed and grabbed the remote.

“Hey, who said you could change it?” Dick said, affronted and Wally snorted.

“Nah, nah. You totally weren’t watching this. I’m putting something else on,” Wally said with a challenging grin. Dick narrowed his eyes.

“Sure… if you can get the remote,” Dick said sweetly and then it was on.

Dick laughed as they wrestled over the remote, Wally holding it out of his reach until Dick pinched him in the side and made him drop it. Wally whined and rubbed his abused skin, shot Dick an exaggerated glare and complained incessantly about the show until Dick changed it to something Wally liked.

 _I wouldn’t give this up for anything_ , Dick thought with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Story Chronology: Dick's been in Central for ~1 month.


	25. Volatile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: **major** Cheshire bashing. If you like Jade Nguyen, I'm sorry.

On Saturday morning, Dick realised the fridge was absolutely empty and so he bullied Wally into going grocery shopping. It hadn’t been difficult when Dick had shown Wally the amount of dust underneath the couch and asked the redhead pointedly whether he’d prefer to deal with that instead. Wally had taken one look, did a full-body cringe and ran out the door with Dick’s grocery list, because he knew if he left it up to Wally, he’d come back with about twenty different brands of junk food and nothing of actual substance.

Dick dug out the vacuum from where it was stashed in the back of Wally’s messy overflowing closet and set to work. Fortunately, the vacuum looked almost new with how rarely he assumed it had been used, so he made quick work of the living room, the kitchen, the hallway and Wally’s bedroom. He had to take a break when he couldn’t bear the sight of Wally’s clothes hanging on for dear life on over-stuffed hangers and reorganized the man’s entire closet until he deemed it acceptable.

He had a moment of hesitation before he entered Roy’s bedroom, wondering if it would be a violation of privacy but then he figured he’d be in and out in about five minutes, so it likely wouldn't matter. The thought of the whole house being clean bar one room didn’t sit well with Dick, so he didn’t deliberate on the decision too long.

Surprisingly, Roy kept much neater than Wally. There were a few shirts that fell short of his laundry hamper and lay on the floor and there were papers scattered all over his desk, but other than that it was organised and filled only with the bare essentials. Dick wondered if Roy was an organised person, or if he just didn’t spend long enough at the apartment for any chaos to accumulate. It was when he was absently vacuuming underneath Roy’s desk, that the vacuum snagged on something. Dick bent down to dislodge it and came away with a piece of paper. He couldn’t help but glance over it.

“Adoption records?” Dick muttered, and his brows furrowed in confusion.

It looked like a printout of a Central City adoption agency’s records. There were a list of names of children up for adoption, and at the bottom, it stated non-identifying information would be provided on page 4. Dick felt a mounting confusion and curiosity that made him turn towards the rest of the papers scattered on the desk. Before he could take a closer look, there was the clattering sound of the apartment door opening and then heavy footsteps. Dick looked up and froze when he met Roy’s eyes where he stood in the doorway.

“What the fuck are you doing in my room?” Roy shouted. He barreled forward and seized Dick by the arm. Dick startled, he dropped the vacuum and the paper in his hand fell onto the desk.

“I... I was cleaning,” Dick stuttered, he tried to dislodge Roy’s grip on him, but the man’s fingers just tightened in response.

“Yeah? Well it looked to me like you were snooping,” Roy snarled, eyes flashing. Dick gaped back.

“No! I was vacuuming and it got stuck on that piece of paper, so I picked it up to put it on your desk!” Dick said quickly. Roy growled and yanked him closer, Dick winced as fingers dug into the skin of his bicep.

“Stay out of my fucking bedroom,” Roy snarled. Dick struggled in his grip and met Roy’s murderous gaze with fearful eyes.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry, I thought- I thought we were friends so I-” Dick stuttered defensively, unable to tear away from Roy’s furious, wild-eyed expression.

“We’re not _friends_ ,” Roy spat and Dick felt the words like a punch to the solar plexus.

“You think ‘cause we had lunch a few times, that suddenly we’re besties?” Roy sneered. Dick felt himself shut down. He schooled his features into an emotionless facade before the hurt could show in his eyes.

“No,” Dick stated calmly. He stared at Roy unflinchingly, who still had a vice grip around Dick’s bicep. He just knew there would be a bruise there tomorrow.

“We’re not even _roommates_ ,” Roy bit out, eyes glinting. There was a cruel twist to his mouth that made Dick’s chest constrict in pain, and he struggled to keep his facial expression impassive.

“You’re a fucking guest here, Grayson. _Wally_ ’s guest. So stay out of my shit or I **will** kick you out,” Roy threatened, leaning dangerously close, eyes boring into his menacingly. Dick stiffened in response, but gave nothing away and stubbornly refused to break eye contact.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll stay out of your room,” Dick agreed calmly, then raised a hand to remove Roy’s grip around his bicep, which was starting to sting. He pried Roy’s fingers away, which slackened when the redhead looked down in shock, like he hadn’t even realised he’d had a bruising grip on Dick’s arm during their entire exchange.

Dick clenched his jaw and never once took his eyes from Roy’s as he pushed the man’s hand away. Roy’s eyes were clouding with what looked like guilt, but the mulish turn to his lips broadcasted that he was still entirely unapologetic. Dick felt sick to his stomach.

Dick walked out of Roy’s bedroom without a word, and then headed straight out of the apartment.

* * *

Dick was walking fast, having picked a random direction and kept on it with a single-minded focus when he bumped right into someone walking the opposite direction on the street. He opened his mouth, ready to snap an expletive that would probably make Alfred stare at him aghast, when he realised he’d run smack dab into Artemis.

“Woah, Dick. Didn’t think I’d bump into you here,” Artemis said with surprise then narrowed her eyes when she no doubt noticed his frazzled emotional state. Dick didn’t reply, he stared at his shoes and chewed at his bottom lip. He really, really wasn’t in the mood to socialise after Roy’s scathing outburst.

“You alright?” she asked cautiously, resting a hand on his shoulder. Dick looked up, about to release all his pent-up anger at someone who didn’t deserve it, when he met Artemis’s concerned eyes and suddenly deflated. He sighed, Artemis grip tightened a little with a reassuring squeeze.

“I had a disagreement with my roommate,” Dick said reluctantly, eyes drifting away from Artemis narrowed ones, unwilling to really share the true nature of said disagreement, or… which roommate it was with. It was too bad that Artemis was a quick study when it came to reading people. 

“Roy?” she scoffed, one eyebrow raised high in derision. Dick stared at her in defeat and shrugged helplessly. Surprisingly, she didn’t look the slightest bit self-satisfied at being right about Roy, and didn’t press Dick further. She just pivoted him around with a hand to his shoulder to face the direction she had been walking.

“Come on, have a drink with me,” she said flippantly. Dick chose not to point out that it was barely noon and followed her to a bar he’d never been to before.

“So? You wanna talk about it?” Artemis said, sipping on her martini after they’d entered a quiet, nondescript bar, and sat in a booth after ordering their drinks.

Dick had gone straight for cheap whiskey and Artemis had settled for a simple gin martini. Besides them and the bartender, the bar was practically empty at this hour, only two teenage boys still in school uniforms milled around the pool table.

“Not particularly,” Dick sighed and took a sip of his whiskey.

It burned down his throat, as cheap whiskey does, but he found he appreciated the burn. The physical pain was grounding, made it easier to put his emotional hurts aside. Artemis raised a sardonic eyebrow, clearly not accepting his answer and Dick groaned.

“You were right about Roy,” was all he said, and then he threw back his whiskey. He slammed it on the table, adding another condensation ring to the numerous discolorations dotting the wooden tabletop. Artemis gave him a look, the tilt to her mouth just a little smug but not enough to set him on edge.

“Assholes stay assholes,” she said with a casual flap of her hand and finished her drink.

Neither of them moved to order another, they simply sat in silence. After a few minutes, Artemis spoke but her tone was markedly different from what Dick was used to.

“Now that we’re here, we might as well get to know each other right?” Artemis said, a strange look in her eyes that made Dick feel wary. He nodded hesitantly.

“Megan already told you Dinah and I opened the gym together. Did Dinah happen to tell you how we met?” she asked lightly. Dick shook his head and waited for her to continue, curious.

“You know… I grew up in Gotham too,” Artemis said with a wry smirk. Dick’s eyes widened with surprise.

“I met Dinah in the Big Sister Program,” she continued, “Yeah, the one organised by Commissioner Gordon,” she added when Dick’s eyes flashed with recognition. She paused for a few minutes to swirl her straw through the empty gin glass, then continued with an unreadable look.

“My parents were con artists. Petty theft, larceny, art fraud, bank robbing. You name it. They’d make a quick buck and then we’d skip town. They were in and out of jail my whole life,” Artemis said, taking another sip of her drink as she did.

“My sister and I spent a lot of time in group homes,” Artemis added, casually, like she was discussing the weather. Dick felt a burst of sympathy, but he had a feeling if he showed her any, she would clam up. He kept his expression neutral.

“Well… that was until Jade met a billionaire’s son in Star City, ‘fell in love’ and skipped out the minute she hit 18,” Artemis said bitterly, with a dark look. _Billionaire’s son… She means Roy._ Dick realised with a pang. 

“All of a sudden, I was alone,” Artemis said, and tapped a nail briskly on the table. She paused for a long moment, and Dick almost thought she’d drop the topic. Then she shook her head and continued.

“Dinah was assigned to me at one of the homes in Gotham that they shunted me back to,” Artemis said with a faraway look in her eyes.

“At first, I hated her, it was a lot easier to hate her because I knew it’d hurt less when she left…,” she said, and twirled her straw idly through the martini. Dick watched the condensation on the glass drip down and settle in a ring on the table.

“It took me a long time to realise that she wasn’t leaving,” she stated, simply, the first quirk of a smile to her expression. It fell away quickly with her next words.

“You know, I already had a big sister, but Dinah was more like a big sister to me than Jade ever was,” she said with a scoff, eyes flashing with a bone-deep resentment. Dick shivered when her flinty grey eyes met his over the table.

“Dinah taught me everything I know. She put me through school, she taught me self defense and martial arts. She taught me how to scare anyway anyone who so much as _breathed_ wrong in my direction,” she said with a smirk. Dick smiled faintly because he had absolutely no trouble believing that.

“All my life, I saw women like me get beat down by society. Hell, saw my own mother get physically beat to within an inch of her life by my disgusting excuse of a father,” she said with a snarl.

“I wanted to teach women what Dinah taught me, how to stand up for themselves…so it wasn’t that hard to leave everything behind and move to Central City with her,” Artemis said with finality, with a loose shrug as if she hadn’t just laid herself bare in front of Dick. Dick swallowed thickly.

“I...” he started to say but he felt lost for words. He didn’t want to give a stock answer, he didn’t want to give into his social conditioning and gush out a platitude and change the topic to something less real. Artemis stared him down, waiting for him to give the wrong answer. He finally settled on an equal exchange.

“My parents died when I was nine,” he said quickly, getting it out before he could close himself off and change his mind. Artemis stiffened, something unreadable in her eyes and nodded, wordlessly asking him to go on.

“Bruce… He didn’t let it hit the papers but I’m actually Romani,” Dick laughed, meeting Artemis’ eyes with wry humor, her eyes sparked with familiarity of a person used to having to hide their true ethnicity, if only for some measure of safety in a judgemental world. 

“I grew up in the circus. Since I was a baby actually. Hell, I was born in a circus tent,” he chuckled and continued, “My parents were the _Flying Graysons_ of Haly’s Travelling Circus. We used to do this trapeze act… I loved it. I felt so _free_ ,” Dick said wistfully, remembering the colors, the scents, the comfort of falling right back into his parents open arms after taking an impossible leap through the sky.

“My mom, she used to call me Robin, because that’s what she said I looked like. A tiny little runt of a kid, flying through the air,” he whispered and it hurt to share that part of him, but he felt like he owed it to Artemis. 

_Robin_ , the name made his throat close up. He'd only told two people about that, Alfred and Wally. Wally had tried to call him _Robbie_ as kids once, but Dick had shut him down. Only his birth parents called him Robin... and he wanted to keep it that way to preserve their memory.

“They died in a trapeze accident and in one fell swoop, I was an orphan,” Dick said darkly, lowering his gaze to stare into the tabletop. He drummed his fingers on the surface, vibrating with tension. He paused for a breath then raised his head to resume eye contact with Artemis, whose eyes were shining, brows furrowed tightly and mouth pursed in a pained, straight line.

“I was lucky though,” he added, trying to drag back some cheer in this dreary tale, “Bruce Wayne was in the crowd. He took me in. He knew what it felt like, having his parents ripped away from in a single night, a single accident,” he said in a quiet tone.

Artemis nodded. Everyone knew Bruce Wayne’s origin story, it was splashed across the papers, it was brought up with his every achievement and ripped open old wounds year on year. Dick knew that was why Bruce had protected Dick from the same heartache and kept Dick’s birth parents a mystery from the world.

“He told me later that’s what made him feel so close to me, like I was meant to be his son,” Dick said with a laugh, smiling sadly. He felt a knot form in his throat and he found himself missing his adoptive father with a visceral longing he couldn’t suppress. He flicked his eyes up to Artemis, who sat stiff and at rapt attention, like she couldn’t quite believe he was laying himself open in front of her.

“I was so lucky. This lackadaisical billionaire saw something in me and took me in, right off the streets. Kept me out of homes, gave me the best life a kid like me could ever dream to have,” Dick said breathlessly, feeling a familiar gratefulness wrap around his heart, bubble up in his chest. He met Artemis’ soft gaze, his throat felt raw.

“I can’t ever truly know how it was for you. I was saved from that life before it could happen to me…” Dick said quietly, staring at Artemis with the utmost respect in his eyes.

“But… that’s me,” he finished resolutely.

For a few, incredibly still minutes, they both sat silently across from each other. Then, Artemis smiled, a blinding smile that reached her eyes, brought a warmth to her eyes that made Dick had never seen.

Artemis said nothing in response but put a hand on his where his fingers drummed restlessly on the table, her palm warm on top of his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have y'all noticed how much I love writing Artemis yet? ;')


	26. Flexible

Dick took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he stretched, resting all his weight on his hands as he stretched his legs out into a wide sideways vee. Eka Pada Koudinyasana was one of the hardest yoga poses to hold and Dick found he could only fully concentrate with his eyes closed. He loved the strain it put on his body, how it stretched all his limbs and pushed his muscles to their maximum. It was a Sunday, but he had to keep his limbs loose over the weekend so he wasn’t too stiff in his yoga lessons on Mondays.

Another week had gone by in an instant and Dick had made his peace with avoiding Roy for the foreseeable future. He didn’t tell Wally about the confrontation between him and Roy because he was almost certain Wally would be banging at Roy’s door with a pitchfork if he did. Wally had forgotten about Roy’s violent behavior after the last week, and Dick resolved to keep it that way. Roy’s tendency to disappear for weeks worked in his favor. Dick spent the week catching up with Wally instead. The familiar, comforting ebb and flow of his friendship with Wally kept his mind off how hurt he was by Roy’s behavior.

It was too bad Wally kept having to go back home to babysit for Aunt Iris. As a newscaster her schedule was unpredictable and Uncle Barry was a forensic specialist who could be called in at short notice. Wally’s parents were too old to handle two high energy, fussy twins on their own, so Wally kept having to dip out on weekends. Dick couldn’t help but admire the redhead for how devoted he was to his family and so he couldn’t bring himself to ask Wally to stop going back on weekends. It did help that he was bombarded with adorable pictures of Wally and the babies all the time to make up for it, Dick thought with a smile.

Dick came out of his thoughts when he felt sweat drip down his brow. He took slow, measured breaths, holding the pose as long as he could but when his arms began to wobble, he slowly reversed it, pulling his knees inwards and resting his feet back on the mat. He crossed his legs and did breathing exercises for a minute before shifting into Downwards Dog for a cooldown.

He opened his eyes and came face to face with Roy. Dick choked and tried not to instinctively pull his hips inwards because that would ruin the stretch and probably strain his relaxed muscles.

“How long have you been there?” he sputtered and Roy’s hooded eyes flit over him casually.

“A while,” he said noncommittally, on the couch for once, lounging lengthways with his back against the armrest and legs crossed at the ankle, feet resting on the opposing armrest close to where Dick set up his yoga mat.

Dick felt his skin flush when he realised he had his back to Roy for the majority of his exercises, which meant Roy had been staring at his _ass_ for who knows how long. It was only when he turned to do his cooldown after that last pose that Dick had faced the couch. 

“How long is a _while_?” Dick sniped back, feeling off-kilter and a little violated. He wasn’t here to be eye candy, he just wanted to exercise in peace. _Damn it, why did I wear my shorts today._ Dick cursed, thinking about his bare legs on display and how his tight yoga shorts left almost nothing to the imagination.

“Long enough,” Roy mumbled cryptically and was it Dick’s imagination, or were his pupils dilated?

Dick sighed and readjusted his pose. He wasn’t going to quit exercising in face of some ogling, besides, he got plenty of eyes at work too. True, they were female eyes that largely didn’t affect him but eyes were eyes nonetheless. He valiantly ignored the prickling embarrassment he felt and resumed.

Dick lowered his pelvis to the floor and contorted his body backwards instead, deciding if he was going to be ogled shamelessly, he might as well give the man a show. It wasn’t strictly the safest way to go about it, but Dick knew he was loose enough to pull off the sharp change in pose. Facing Roy, he moved his arms back, straightening them and grabbing his feet as he bent his knees to assume the Bow Pose, only his chest and pelvis touching the mat.

Roy’s eyes darkened and Dick was certain it wasn’t a trick of the light. He smirked in response and went a step further, leaning forward on his chest and pulling his knees over his shoulders until they touched the mat, so his entire body was contorted. He couldn’t see Roy’s expression from his position but he could have sworn he heard Roy’s breath hitch. 

Dick held the pose for as long as he could, but he hadn’t attempted it since his days in the circus as a child. It was considerably easier as a nine-year-old with a naturally malleable body. Now, it was stretching unused muscles that would ache for days. Dick winced as he shifted out of the pose, cursing his impulsiveness. He decided that was enough exercise for a day and went back to sitting cross-legged, meeting Roy’s clouded gaze head on.

“You done drooling?” Dick taunted and Roy snapped out of his daze.

Roy cleared his throat awkwardly and Dick couldn’t help but smile in victory at making _Roy Harper_ feel uncomfortable.

“You’re flexible,” he blurted, and then looked shocked enough that Dick realised it was an involuntary admission. Dick grinned at him mischievously, giving his signature cackling laugh and then raised an eyebrow at the redhead. His earlier embarrassment dissipated and it was kind of nice to be on the winning side of an interaction with Roy, for once.

“Hmm, I didn’t notice,” he said sarcastically, and Roy scratched the back of his head, clearly mortified.

Dilated pupils ringed with a sliver of olive green met Dick’s own blue orbs, which were twinkling with mirth. With the flip of a switch, Roy’s embarrassed expression turned sour. His gaze darkened and he got off the couch, striding over to Dick and crouching to his level. He reached out and grasped Dick’s chin with his forefinger and thumb, raising his face to meet his eyes, just a few inches of space between them.

“I noticed,” he said, voice low as sin, breath ghosting over Dick’s mouth.

Dick froze, his breath came short and his face flushed with heat, his skin _burned_ where Roy’s fingers were grasping his chin. Roy held his gaze for what felt to Dick was an interminable amount of time, but in reality was less than a minute before he stood and walked away. Dick swallowed, any mirth he felt had disappeared. He felt raw, exposed… and achingly aroused.

The ball was back in Roy’s court.

* * *

Dick kept turning over his interaction with Roy, he started the week feeling incredibly unfocused. Roy was so volatile, so unpredictable and it prickled at Dick in a vexing way. Dick knew he tended to latch onto people and get attached. He had a thirst to learn everything about them and it didn’t help that he found Roy so attractive. Dick’s guilty conscience followed him around, it pressed and niggled at him until he couldn’t help but bring Roy up over dinner with Wally one night.

“Hey Wally, how long have you been roommates with Roy?” Dick asked, out of the blue. Wally looked up from his stir-fry, homemade for once. At Dick’s insistence, they’d been making dinner together, instead of ordering greasy takeout. 

“Hmm. Not long, about a year? Maybe a bit longer,” Wally said casually, then went back to his food. Dick debated asking more and in the end his curiosity won out.

“How much do you really know about Roy?” Dick asked Wally, slowly and tried to keep his tone light. Wally looked up quickly, spoon falling onto his plate when he leaned forward abruptly.

“Why? Did he do something again?” Wally asked heatedly, expression turning angry.

“Woah, no. Calm down! I was… I was just curious,” Dick muttered, worried at the heated glint to Wally’s eyes. Thankfully, the redhead relaxed.

“Hmm well. He told me he moved to Central with his girlfriend, but they broke up so he was looking for a roommate. Rent was cheap, and this place is much closer to STAR Labs than my folk’s house in the suburbs, so I took it,” Wally said while he chewed.

“What happened with his girlfriend?” Dick asked inquisitively, mind drifting to the adoption records he’d found in Roy’s room. Wally shrugged in response.

“No clue. Don’t know if you noticed, but Roy’s a pretty private person. We never really talked about it and I didn’t want to pry. He keeps busy and is easy enough to live with, so basically… Since he doesn’t bother me, I don’t bother him,” Wally said simply. Dick smiled a little, that sounded like Wally, considerate without even realising it.

“That’s fair,” Dick said with a nod and Wally looked at him curiously. 

“What brought this on, anyway?” Wally said, eyes trained on Dick’s intently. Dick took a bite of his dinner to think of an answer. Dick didn’t think telling Wally about Roy’s bizarre hot and cold interactions with him was wise… It would also be awkward, to tell Wally his roommate had been flirting with him on and off since he’d arrived.

“Nothin’ really. I was just thinking about that day, you know,” Dick said with a wince.

He hadn’t wanted to bring up the day Roy put a hole in the wall, but he wasn’t sure how else he could deflect Wally’s attention. The redhead could be really persistent when he put his mind to it, especially when it came to Dick.

“Oh yeah… Wonder what that was about. Sure you don’t want me to talk to him about that?” Wally asked with a frown. Dick smiled and shook his head.

“Nah, it was weeks ago. Don’t worry about it,” Dick said pleasantly and asked Wally if he wanted a second helping which Wally was only too eager to accept.

Dick’s mind drifted as he spooned more stir-fry onto Wally’s plate, wondering why couldn’t stop thinking about Roy. He knew Roy was dangerous, but something about the man drew Dick to him like a moth to a flame.

Dick had a feeling if he drifted too close… He was going to get burnt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roy Harper, ladies and gentlemen.


	27. Heated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: **Dubious consent**. Kind of, but not really. You'll see.

Dick had just left the bathroom in a cloud of stream, towel hanging at his hips, when he was abruptly shoved against the wall. His breath left him in a grunt and he looked up in shock to see Roy, eyes boring into his and body pinning him to the wall. Dick struggled but Roy took his wrists and slammed them up by Dick’s ears, his grip so tight Dick felt the bones of his wrists grind together.

“What the hell are you doing?” Dick hissed, struggling to get out of the redhead’s hold without losing his towel in the process. His mind was blanking, any and all self-defense techniques he’d learnt escaped his memory as Roy pressed him into the wall, chest to chest, pelvis to pelvis. Roy was fully clothed, Dick felt bare and vulnerable in his towel.

“Shut up,” Roy said and leaned impossibly closer, tip of his nose drifting over the curve of Dick’s neck. Dick shivered and his eyes widened. He felt his cock start to stiffen in response to Roy’s breath ghosting over his wet skin.

“Stop!” Dick whimpered when Roy bit his neck, sucking a bruise so viciously it made Dick weak in the knees. 

He struggled half-heartedly but enough that Roy pulled his head back to meet his helpless gaze. Dilated blue eyes met dark green ones, Roy’s full lips curled in a leer. Dick thought about drifting his fingers over that clenched jaw and the strong lines of Roy’s face. He thought about tracing the curve of Roy’s nose, the furrow of his brow and that delicious jawline.

“You’re a fucking tease, Grayson,” Roy growled and kissed him punishingly, biting at his lower lip and prying Dick’s mouth open with his tongue.

Dick stopped resisting, eyes closing as he gave in to Roy, letting the man shove his tongue in his mouth and manhandle him backwards into Wally’s bedroom. Roy shoved him onto the bed and kicked the door closed, staring at him predatorily, eyes running a blazing trail from Dick’s bitten red lips, down his bare chest to where the towel was barely hanging on, revealing a dark trail of hair that led to his aroused cock.

“Let’s see how flexible you really are,” Roy said and climbed over him. He yanked the towel away and forced Dick’s legs over his broad shoulders. Dick gasped and arched his back with the sudden strain on his muscles, eyes watering. He felt filthy, legs splayed wide and his flushed, erect cock flat against his stomach. Roy pulled him into another kiss and then wet, lubed fingers were nudging at his hole.

Dick moaned shamelessly into Roy’s mouth as the man fingered him, progressing from one finger to two so fast it made Dick’s head swim. He bucked up when the sting of a third finger stretched him open, and bit into Roy’s bottom lip. Roy pulled away and grinned at him savagely, unbuttoning his pants onehanded while the fingers of the other scissored and stretched him painfully wide. Dick’s mouth fell open wordlessly and his thighs tensed when he felt Roy's cock at his opening. He made a sound like he’d been punched when Roy shoved in nearly to the hilt, and clawed at his broad back underneath his shirt, nails digging crescents into the redhead’s skin.

Roy was inside him. Dick was being fucked on _Wally’s bed._ His face flamed, but the thought of Wally didn’t stay in his mind for long as Roy pounded into him. The bed rocked and the headboard thumped against the wall and with every powerful thrust, Dick’s voice left him in feeble gasping moans.

_Thump thump thump_

Roy hammered his prostrate unrelentingly. Dick closed his eyes in ecstasy as he neared his peak. His mouth fell open and he panted, struggling to control his breathing while Roy pounded into him at a punishing pace.

_Thump thump thump_

“Ah, Roy, I’m so _close -_ ” and then there was a blinding light and Dick woke up panting, sweat dripping down his face and cock at full attention.

He looked around desperately, but Roy was nowhere to be seen. He looked around in bleary confusion until his eyes fell on the alarm clock reading _4:27 AM._ He gasped. He had been dreaming. Dick didn’t have long to think about the implications of his dream because a series of loud thumps occurred. 

_Thump thump thump_

_Those are real._ He thought with wide eyes and rushed out of the room in the hallway. He hobbled awkwardly to the front door, tucking his erect cock into the waistband of his boxers in hopes of hiding his embarrassing predicament.

_Thump thump thump thump thump_

“I’m coming, damn it!” Dick shouted and flung the front door open only to come face to face with Roy. The real Roy, who swayed on his feet and then barreled into Dick. Dick stumbled back, trying to put some space between them. _I just had a **sex** dream about **Roy**. _Dick flushed from head to toe and hoped Roy was too drunk to notice.

“Get out o’ my fuckin’ way,” Roy slurred and Dick gulped. He crushed his arousal and focused on the man in front of him, trying not to alert him to his disheveled, debauched appearance.

“Right, right. Sorry,” Dick said, he raised his hands placatingly and retreated slowly. He felt Roy drunkenly assess him, dark eyes travelling over him in a way so uncannily similar to his dream that Dick couldn’t help but shiver. Fortunately, instead of asking Dick why he looked so… ruffled, Roy went a totally different route.

“What the fuck took you so long?” he asked, getting up in his space and shoving a finger in his chest. Dick scowled and felt his arousal wane in wake of Roy’s douchebag attitude.

“I was _asleep_. It’s 4 AM.” Dick snapped and Roy shoved him back with so much force that Dick stumbled for purchase, trying to find something to hold onto. With no furniture close by, he grabbed Roy’s arm to try to stay on his feet. Roy took as some sort of challenge and yanked Dick closer to him, breathing in his face.

“Don’t fuckin’ talk to me that way,” he growled and Dick wrinkled his nose at the disgustingly strong scent of vodka that assaulted his nose.

“You’re the one being an asshole right now,” Dick bit out, shoving Roy back, a much lighter shove than the redhead’s. Dick knew the man was wasted and he, unlike Roy, was considerate. Roy’s eyes blazed in anger and he bared his teeth. Before Dick knew what was happening, he was thrown against the wall, and Roy pressed his entire weight onto him. It was so eerily similar to his dream, that Dick froze like a deer in headlights.

“Don’t you _ever_ talk to me that way,” Roy whispered in his ear, voice low. He gave Dick a menacing glare before stumbling to his bedroom.

Dick stayed rooted to the spot, eyes wide and heart beating rabbit-fast in his chest. After a few minutes, he finally calmed down enough to go back to Wally’s bedroom. Dick lay awake in bed, unable to fall asleep with the energy thrumming through him. He was vibrating with need but he kept his hands to himself and stared at the ceiling until the sun peeked through the blinds.

* * *

Dick finally gave up trying to go back to sleep by 6 AM and pulled himself out of bed with a sigh. His arousal had long since waned as he’d laid awake for hours, wallowing in shame and bewilderment. Dick walked out the bedroom, heading to the bathroom with exhaustion pulling at his limbs. _At least it’s a Saturday,_ he thought with relief because he knew he wouldn’t have been able to pull himself to work in his state. Dick should have known a week of silence from Roy after their last encounter was too good to be true.

Dick came to a stop at the bathroom door, which was open. Roy was passed out inside, forehead on the toilet seat, looking like death warmed over. Dick sighed, shuffled his feet and thought about what to do. Roy’s pained groan made his decision for him and he stepped into the bathroom to help the man when Roy suddenly gagged. Dick held Roy by the neck and rubbed his hand on his clammy back as the redhead heaved his guts into the toilet. The sound of retching made Dick feel a wave of concern for Roy. 

“Come on,” Dick sighed and hooked his arms beneath Roy’s shoulders to get him standing after he’d finished vomiting.

Roy mumbled incomprehensibly, eyes still half-closed as Dick maneuvered him. It was difficult, what with Roy being considerably taller than him and unable to find his footing in his current state. Finally, Dick slung the man’s arm over his shoulders and dragged him to his bedroom. He dropped Roy on his bed and looped back to the bathroom to grab the man’s sweat soaked shirt, discarded in the corner. Dick dropped it in Roy’s hamper and then stood by the bed for a few moments, watching Roy roll over and shiver.

Dick felt on edge in the room, the memory of Roy going ballistic on him for entering his bedroom playing in his mind. He wasn’t too keen on being in Roy’s presence, especially after the way Roy behaved the night before. More than that… he felt ashamed after the dream he’d had… and for getting aroused over a physical altercation. Dick was about to leave the man to his own devices, since it’d serve him right for the way he’d treated Dick, but then Roy moaned pitifully and tried to stagger out of bed and Dick welled up with pity for the man.

“Don’t… Don’t get up,” Dick whispered and pushed Roy lightly back onto the bed.

He sat down tentatively on the edge of it and gently combed Roy’s sweaty hair away from his forehead with his fingers. Dick frowned at how clammy Roy’s forehead felt, and noted the way his eyelids were fluttering rapidly, the way his entire body was trembling uncontrollably.

 _Those are withdrawal symptoms,_ he realised. Dick furrowed his brows, feeling his concern for Roy deepen.

“I have to… I have to find her,” Roy mumbled, eyes shooting open. Roy’s eyes were bloodshot, and his wild-eyed gaze put Dick on edge. The man jolted up violently and Dick had to shove him down again.

“Whatever it is you need to do, it can wait. You’re not well,” Dick muttered worriedly. Roy slumped back in defeat and stared at the ceiling. It was a few more minutes until he realised Dick was in his bedroom. Roy stiffened.

“Why… Why are you here?” Roy mumbled and met his eyes. Roy’s gaze was clouded and confused, the man looked vulnerable, laying prone on the bed with Dick sitting over him.

“Should I have left you passed out on the toilet in the bathroom?” Dick said pointedly and Roy looked away in humiliation.

“I mean. I treated you like shit. I’ve _been_ … treating you like shit,” Roy whispered. Dick stared at the back of his head, turning over the words and the guilt in Roy’s raspy voice.

“Yeah, you have,” Dick replied and Roy’s shoulders drew up to his neck. He was vibrating with tension and Dick couldn’t help but brush a soothing hand down his naked back to settle him down a bit. Roy’s shoulders slowly relaxed but the man still didn’t turn to face him.

“I’ll get you some water and an aspirin,” Dick sighed and Roy nodded.

Dick brought both over and helped Roy sit up, watched as he swallowed the aspirin and nearly gagged on the water. Dick let his eyes flit over Roy, take in his sunken cheeks, his clammy sweat-slick skin, the way his bloodshot eyes couldn’t seem to settle on anything. Roy’s ribs were stark and Dick wondered when was the last time the man had eaten a meal. 

“Roy, are you an addict?” Dick asked bluntly. Roy’s gaze snapped up to his and the glass in his hand nearly dropped from his grip.

“Fuck you,” Roy snarled then crumpled into a coughing fit. Dick took the glass off water from him and crossed his arms.

“I’m not judging you. I’m just asking,” Dick sighed. Roy stared at his hands in his lap, curled and uncurled his fingers before answering.

“I drink sometimes,” Roy said quietly, shooting Dick a defiant look. Dick uncrossed his arms and shook his head. He figured this was about as good as he’d get out of Roy.

“Go take a shower, I’ll make you some breakfast,” Dick said simply and walked out of the room before Roy could protest.

Dick went to the kitchen and took out eggs and bacon from the fridge. He filled a glass of orange juice and put it on the kitchen table because if Roy was actually in withdrawal, the man would need some electrolytes to curb any cravings. Dick cooked the eggs and bacon absently, he heard the shower go on and mulled over why he was helping Roy at all. What was it about Roy, that Dick couldn’t seem to let go of? He couldn't find an answer. Dick sighed and filled two plates.

He was in the midst of eating his eggs when Roy came into the kitchen. Dick watched him as the man sat down silently and started eating. Roy gulped down the orange juice and put the glass on the table with shaky hands. Dick refilled it wordlessly. They sat silently when both plates were clean. Roy was staring down at the table, jaw working and shoulders tense. Dick waited patiently.

“Thanks,” Roy said and made a move to get up.

“That’s it?” Dick scoffed, shooting Roy an incredulous look. Roy froze and met his eyes.

“I’m sorry for waking you up,” Roy added and Dick huffed.

“Yeah okay, but that wasn’t what I was getting at,” Dick muttered. 

“It’s - I can’t talk about it,” Roy mumbled, brows furrowed and olive-green eyes boring into Dick’s own, gaze imploring.

“You can, you just don’t want to,” Dick sighed and shook his head.

Dick sat at the table and listened to Roy walk away, wondering why he bothered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS - Wrote the sex dream months ago when this was supposed to be a Roommates Porno. Now its Chapter 27 of a monster longfic, go figure.


	28. Reconnect

The last place Dick expected to run into Roy was outside Tigress Gym on Monday, right after work. Dick opened the doors of the gym, ready to jog home when he ran smack dab into the redhead, who was loitering outside by the laundromat next to the gym. As it happens, Roy looked just as shocked to see him and Dick’s unvoiced question was answered when the doors to the gym opened and Kaldur stepped out.

“Roy! I hope you have not been waiting long,” Kaldur said and Roy straightened from his slouch on the windowed wall of the laundromat.

“Just got here,” Roy said with a shrug. Despite Roy’s distinct lack of enthusiasm and weary expression, Kaldur walked up to him with a smile and pulled the man into a hug. Roy returned it and gave him a one-armed pat, a half-smile on his face before he pulled away. 

Dick shook off his surprise and made a move to walk past them when Roy’s eyes met his. Kaldur followed the redhead’s gaze to where Dick was standing.

“Oh, Dick, hello! I did not notice you there,” Kaldur said apologetically and Dick shook his head with a smile.

“Don’t worry about it. I was just heading back. Good lesson today!” Dick said, his yoga lesson had run long but he had managed to catch the tail-end of the Self Defense lessons Kaldur volunteered for on Mondays.

“Thank you,” Kaldur said warmly and then glanced between Roy and Dick. Dick could pinpoint the exact moment the dark-skinned man remembered they knew each other.

“Oh, would you like to join us for a drink?” Kaldur asked and Dick’s eyes widened. He glanced quickly at Roy, who looked equally as uncomfortable as he felt. Dick suppressed a grimace, he didn’t want to seem impolite to Kaldur but things with Roy were still incredibly… tense.

“I wouldn’t want to impose. You two should catch up,” Dick responded, he pasted on a smile and hoped Kaldur would drop it, if not for him then for Roy, who looked like he wanted no part of what Kaldur was proposing.

“Nonsense, we all know each other. I’d love for a chance to get to know more about you,” Kaldur insisted, with an earnest expression that Dick would feel awful to deny.

“I… If, if Roy’s alright with that,” Dick said uneasily and his eyes flicked nervously to Roy. Roy held his gaze, there was apprehension in his gaze for a split second but it was there and gone so fast, Dick wasn’t sure it had ever been there at all.

“Sure,” Roy said noncommittally and Kaldur beamed at them.

“Come, it’s close by,” Kaldur said happily and gestured for Dick to follow them.

Dick wondered idly if they’d end up walking to the same bar he’d went to with Artemis, it would surely be ironic, but they walked a few blocks to a different place. It was a dive bar, dim and lit up with neon, bar stools lined up along the lit-up bar, beer taps at arm’s length.

While the bar wasn’t packed, it was still more crowded than Dick would have expected on a Monday night. He would have felt out of place in his tight gym clothes, surrounded by middle-aged men in loose plaid, but Kaldur was dressed similarly, so it made him feel more at ease. Roy, on the other hand, in his worn, lightly stained t-shirt and washed out jeans, fit right in. Neon lights deepened the shadows on his face, made his cheekbones starker and his eyes look deeper. 

They sat down at the bar and Kaldur flagged the bartender over to open a tab. Through some small act of mercy, Kaldur had chosen to sit between them and after a few minutes of light small talk, where he had minimal interaction with Roy, Dick finally found himself relaxing. From his vantage point, he couldn’t even see the redhead without leaning forward.

“Dick says you are roommates,” Kaldur said, almost pointedly but without any obvious aggression.

Dick saw Roy wince in his periphery when he leaned forward to refill his glass with more craft beer, it was surprisingly good. His mouth quirked a little when he realised that was Kaldur’s way of admonishing Roy for not informing him.

“Yeah, he’s Wally’s friend,” Roy muttered and this time Kaldur definitely shot him a look.

“Yes, he’s been your roommate about a month, if I am not wrong,” Kaldur said lightly. Dick’s amused smirk grew and he hid it in the lip of his beer glass as he sipped at the froth.

“Yeah, yeah alright. I should have told you,” Roy groaned and Dick couldn’t see it, but he was sure the man rolled his eyes as he did. 

“How long have you two been friends?” Dick couldn’t help but ask and Kaldur turned towards him readily.

“We have known each other since high school,” Kaldur said and nudged Roy with his shoulder. Roy grunted in affirmation and Dick’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Wow, that’s a long time,” Dick said and Kaldur smiled, it was a mischievous little thing Dick had never seen on his face.

“Yes, you would think we would keep in better touch,” Kaldur said, tone clear and purposeful. Dick couldn’t help but laugh when Roy made an annoyed sound.

“What are you, my mother?” Roy grumbled in response and Kaldur laughed.

“Sorry, I am just teasing. Although, I would appreciate it if you kept me up to date. It’s strange to meet your roommate at the gym, instead of through you,” Kaldur sighed.

“Oh. You work at Tigress?” Roy said suddenly and leaned forward to make eye contact with Dick. Dick nodded and Kaldur looked between them in confusion.

“You didn’t know?” Kaldur asked Roy. Roy shook his head in response and Dick just shrugged.

Dick definitely remembered mentioning it, but … work wasn’t exactly what he and Roy talked about. If Kaldur were to ask, Dick would be hard-pressed to find an answer for what he and Roy _did_ talk about. Dick stared at the logo on his beer glass and tried not to let his thoughts drift to their many … interactions.

“Well, I suppose it is some relief then, that Roy simply avoids communication with _everyone_ and not simply me,” Kaldur said, his tone light and playful. Dick chuckled into his glass when Roy scoffed in response.

Their conversation turned into other avenues then, Kaldur was a comfortable middleman between them, quite literally, so that Dick nearly forgot about the tension between him and Roy. Dick tuned out Roy and Kaldur’s conversation about past acquaintances respectfully, but he kept half an ear on Roy’s reactions. He felt pleased when Roy responded to Kaldur’s stories boisterously and with good-natured ribbing. It felt like an age since he'd seen Roy feel anything close to cheerful. 

Despite being next to his high school best friend, Kaldur made sure Dick didn’t feel left out of the conversation. Dick found himself genuinely enjoying himself, especially when the dark-skinned man described his day job at the Central City Aquarium. Kaldur was a diver, his job was to feed the aquatic mammals daily and the way he described each creature and their special diets was fascinating. Roy made a few jokes about how Kaldur’s real friends were actually sea dwellers, which seemed to be an inside joke between them with how Kaldur’s eyes squinted with amusement.

“Well, I must be going now,” Kaldur said, about an hour later, his tone regretful and expression guilty. He gestured for the bartender and Roy leaned up to glare at him.

“Oh come on, I thought you wanted to catch up _properly_ ,” Roy said snarkily. Kaldur rubbed a hand over the back of his head.

“I’m sorry. I have to be at the Aquarium early tomorrow to feed the manta rays,” Kaldur sighed. He looked genuinely sorry, so Roy let him go with a punch to the shoulder and a promise to call him.

Kaldur paid his tab and said his goodbyes. Almost immediately, the tension between him and Roy came flooding back. Dick felt his shoulders tense and he avoided looking at the man. Neither of them moved to fill the stool between them.

“Whiskey, neat,” Roy muttered and Dick looked at him askance when the bartender put down the glass of liquor in front of him. Dick bit his tongue, he wanted to say something but it wasn’t his place.

“I should go,” Dick said on an exhale, poised to get up but he felt the weight of Roy’s gaze pin him in place.

“Stay,” Roy said simply and Dick turned to look at him in consternation.

“I don’t think -” Dick began but Roy cut him off with a heated look.

“ _Stay_ ,” he intoned, voice an octave deeper than it was with Kaldur. Dick fell back into his seat and stared down at the bar counter instead of looking at Roy, whose gaze was boring into him.

“You going to order a drink, or should I take a guess?” Roy drawled. Dick tensed.

“I have work tomorrow,” he said and Roy snorted in response. Dick looked up warily to see Roy flag the bartender over.

“Gin and tonic for my friend,” Roy said and a few moments later, a glass was placed in front of Dick. Dick sighed and took a sip, there was no sense in denying a drink. He had a feeling it would just set Roy off.

They both nursed their drinks silently, or at least Dick did. Roy slammed his back and immediately ordered another. Dick chewed on the inside of his lip because he wanted to say something, wanted to tell Roy to slow down but… he didn’t want whatever it was between them to turn explosive. He took a gulp of his drink and shivered when he remembered the way Roy had slammed him into the wall.

He didn’t have much of a choice when Roy ordered his third whiskey.

“Roy… You should slow down,” Dick muttered. Roy turned to look at him, face half-lit by the neon sign in front of them. Roy’s eyes were already a little hazy when he drank his third whiskey, then set the glass down with a sharp clank. Dick flinched at the sound but didn’t look away.

“Mm, why’s that?” Roy drawled, there was a nearly imperceptible slur to his words but Dick was looking for it, listening for it and he heard it loud and clear. He frowned and pinned Roy’s hand to the table before he could flag down the bartender for another.

“Close the tab,” Dick said stiffly, refusing to back down. Roy stared at him boldly, a challenging quirk to his mouth. Dick held his gaze and after a few moments, Roy shrugged.

“Alright,” he said flippantly and waved down the bartender. They closed their tabs and got to their feet. There was a subtle sway to Roy’s gait when they left the bar but Roy hid it well. Dick knew the whiskey, on top of the several beers would hit much harder in about half an hour. 

They walked back to the apartment in silence but for Roy absently whistling as he walked along, which only served to put Dick more on edge. He found himself hoping Wally was back from work, so he’d be able to avoid the confrontation he knew was brewing between him and Roy. He had no such luck, and his face fell when they walked into an empty apartment.

Roy flopped back on the couch carelessly and gestured for Dick to sit beside him. Dick felt like his entire body was vibrating with tension, he knew it must have shown on his face because suddenly, Roy laughed.

“Shit, Grayson. I’m not going to bite. Just sit down,” Roy said slowly, lips quirked in a smile and eyes foggy. Dick took off his shoes, then reluctantly sat down next to the man. Roy’s eyes were trained on the side of his face, so with a sigh, Dick pulled up his legs and turned to face him head on.

“What was your life like, in Gotham?” Roy said abruptly, eyes bright, a strange quirk to his mouth that Dick wasn’t sure he could quite class as a smile. Dick stared at him for a few moments, waiting for belligerence, for sudden violence, but it didn’t come.

“It was… different,” Dick answered simply. He rest his hands on his knees, legs curled up beneath him, and waited for Roy’s next odd inquiry.

“Good different?” Roy asked with a peculiar expression, strange smile falling a little. 

“Sometimes. Mostly, just different,” Dick said quietly. Roy quirked an eyebrow, then rest his head on the back of the couch.

While Roy stared silently at the ceiling, Dick thought about his last few tumultuous months in Gotham. Then, he thought about all the times in his childhood he’d wished he was in a train, travelling across Europe, laughing with the Haly’s crew. Dick thought about how later, the fantasies had turned into him being in Central, with Wally. He silently wondered if all his life, he’d just been waiting for his first chance to escape Gotham.

“You’re adopted, aren’t you?” Roy said, still staring at the ceiling. Dick nodded instinctively then realised Roy’s eyes weren’t on him.

“Yeah,” Dick replied, he cleared his throat and thought about Bruce, felt his lips turn down into a frown.

“So am I,” Roy said faintly. Dick watched his throat work and the emotions play across his face.

“I know,” Dick said simply because he read the news.

Back in Gotham, as Bruce’s successor for Wayne Industries next CEO, it had been his job to be up to date on Bruce’s friends and rivals in business. Oliver Queen adopting a no-name teenager out of the blue had made enough waves that not knowing about it was next to impossible.

“Did you know your birth parents?” Roy whispered then turned to face him. Dick stared into olive green eyes and wondered why they looked so haunted.

“Yes, I was adopted when I was nine,” Dick told him. Roy blinked slowly a few times, slumped a little further into the couch and Dick knew the alcohol coursing through his veins was beginning to affect him.

“I never knew mine, they died before I was born. Heard my dad was a firefighter, but that’s all I know,” Roy muttered, almost to himself rather than Dick. Dick felt uncomfortable because he wasn’t sure how much of this Roy would regret sharing in the light of day.

“I’m sorry,” Dick mumbled, not sure what to say. Roy turned the full focus of his gaze on him.

“Don’t be,” Roy said insistently, gaze intense, then continued, “I was taken in by a Native American man. My birth father saved his tribe’s land from a wildfire, and the Navajo chief, he took me in. Those were… they were the best years of my life,” Roy said quietly. Roy looked so lost and so melancholy that Dick couldn’t help but put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“What happened?” Dick whispered and Roy swallowed thickly.

“He died when I was fourteen. Cancer, stage 4, terminal,” Roy said tonelessly. Dick tightened his grip on Roy’s shoulder and they sat silently for a few minutes.

“It’s why I left Star City. Oliver, he was an old friend of my dad, my dad entrusted me to him…” Roy said lowly, then his expression contorted.

“I never saw Oliver as my father. Oliver tries so hard but it just makes me so _angry_ because he can’t replace him. He can’t, I won’t fucking let him,” Roy growled, he put his face in his hands and tugged at his hair in frustration. Dick gently removed the redhead’s hands from his face, he let them fall between them and put his own on Roy’s shoulders.

“It’s okay. I don’t think Oliver ever meant to replace him, Roy,” Dick said gently and Roy’s expression twisted with guilt.

“I know, I know. I just can’t accept it,” Roy whispered, voice rough. He swayed forward into Dick’s hold and Dick let him. 

Dick let Roy sway forward, the redhead’s movements sluggish as he rest his head on Dick’s shoulder. Dick calmly combed his fingers through the man’s hair, willing his heartbeat to settle down, held himself back from pulling away because clearly Roy needed this, he needed someone.

“I could talk to him about anything. I miss that,” Roy breathed into his shoulder and Dick suddenly felt choked up.

He remembered sitting in his mother’s lap and telling her all his wild hopes and dreams. She’d listen devotedly, she’d stroke her fingers through his hair and repeat those stories to his dad, who’d grab him and spin him around in the air, tell him he could do anything he put his mind to.

Suddenly, he felt guilt crush him because Bruce… He couldn’t compare his birth parents to him… because Bruce may not have been as vocal, but he offered his own support. Bruce was strong, he was immovable, Dick knew whatever misfortune came his away, his adoptive father would be the first to come stand in front of him to shield him and weather the storm. 

Roy was trembling in his arms and it pulled Dick out of his thoughts. He stilled, for a second he expected the neck of his shirt to grow wet with tears, but none came. Dick’s throat worked as he thought of what to say.

“You can still talk to people. You have Kaldur… You have…” Dick trailed off, unsure if he should continue. Roy looked up at him with bruised eyes, waiting.

“You have me. If you ever want to talk,” Dick whispered and the way Roy was looking at him made him realise his words were true. Roy stared at him for a long time and Dick forced himself to hold his gaze.

“Thanks,” Roy finally said but he pulled away, eyes shuttered and expression turning impassive. Dick watched Roy retreat into himself, close himself off right in front of him. He thought of moving to close the distance between them but the decision was taken out of his hands when his phone chimed with a notification.

> W: hey sorry i got held up!
> 
> W: come down, let’s go out for dinner today

Dick stared at the text unseeingly for a few moments. He listened to Roy’s inhales and exhales and when no more words were forthcoming, he sighed.

> D: okay, meet you outside

Dick stood up but then stilled, it felt… it felt disingenuous to leave, just like that. He turned towards Roy, who was staring at the ceiling listlessly, slumped into the couch.

“Take care of yourself, Roy,” he said finally. Roy gave him an unreadable look and then nodded.

Dick left for dinner with a lot on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone order some angst? Don't matter cos Roy's bringing it anyway.


	29. Limbo

They have dinner at some Asian fusion place Wally swears by. Wally spends the entire time complaining about his boss and how he runs his team of lab assistants ragged, but its clear from his tone that how much he admires the man. Dick listened with half an ear, unable to tear his thoughts away from Roy, sitting at home alone. He doesn’t know if that’s the reason why Wally suddenly starts driving in the opposite direction to home, but he’s shocked nonetheless.

“Uh… Wally. You forget where the apartment is or something?” Dick said with a laugh. He glanced at Wally in the driver’s seat, who was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Wally shot him a half-grin and turned to the road without answering. 

Dick humoured the redhead, raised his eyebrows when emerald green eyes flicked to his every so often. He kept an eye on the road, it was late at night and it was fairly empty, so it was easy to keep an eye on the road signs. Dick realised a few minutes in where they were heading, and was proven correct when Wally turned into the STAR Labs parking lot.

“Come on,” Wally said after he put the car in park and stepped out. Dick followed in bewilderment, closing the door quickly and rushing to catch up with Wally.

“What? Where are we going?” Dick sputtered and Wally just grabbed his arm.

“Just come on,” he said with a laugh and dragged Dick with him. Wally let them into one of the towers with his card.

“Wally, why are we at STAR labs?” Dick said in a hushed voice when they entered the lobby, dimly lit and vacated.

“Shhh, just come on,” Wally hissed and yanked Dick towards the elevators. Dick stared at him in mystification but followed without further complaint. His lips quirked up in a smile because the way Wally was furtively glancing around reminded him of all the ill-advised adventures they’d had as kids.

“Are we even allowed to be here?” Dick finally asked, as the elevator climbed higher. Wally was practically vibrating with excitement next to him as he watched the numbers climb.

“Not exactly…” Wally said mysteriously and Dick gave him a look.

“Wally…” he said warningly and Wally bit his lip sheepishly.

“Oh come on, promise it’ll be worth it,” Wally whined, he gave Dick an imploring look.

“Alright,” Dick said warily, very suspicious but too curious to turn back now.

A few minutes later, they stopped on the top floor and Wally rushed out. Dick hurried to catch up, lengthening his strides to match the redhead, and then Wally opened the door to the stairwell. They bounded up the stairs to a door that let them out to the roof. Immediately, Wally took him by the hand and dragged him to the edge of the roof excitedly.

“Look!” Wally said and then gestured expansively.

Dick stared with wide eyes at the view, Central City in the blanket of night, lit up with lamp posts and the pinpricks of light from apartment windows. Dick’s eyes drank it in, the way the Central City Park’s lake shined in the moonlight, if he squinted he could almost see the tiny shadows of a few ducks floating tranquilly on the water. The pinpricks of lights were like constellations mapped across the ground, like a reflection of the starry sky. 

“Wow…” Dick whispered, feeling all his tension dissipate.

“Right?” Wally said effusively and Dick turned to meet his eyes. Wally’s eyes were shining with excitement and hope when they met Dick’s. Dick smiled.

“It’s beautiful,” Dick said gratefully and Wally clapped a hand on his back. The redhead pulled him closer with a comfortable arm on his shoulder.

“Yeah! You can see the entire city from here, the park, the lake, and look, that’s where our apartment is,” he said excitedly and pointed out each of them with his free hand.

“Yeah, I see it,” Dick said, spotting the brick façade of the old apartment building. He relaxed into Wally’s hold, and just savored the easy proximity between them.

“See, told you I’d show you the sights,” Wally said proudly as the summer breeze ruffled his hair and Dick laughed.

“Trust you to find the most efficient way to do it,” Dick teased and Wally puffed his chest up.

“Damn straight!” the redhead said with a grin. Dick leaned back into the arm around his shoulders. Wally’s grip tightened a little, he flexed his arm in a gentle squeeze.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for being away so much,” he mumbled softly and Dick kneed him in the thigh.

“Hey, it’s okay. Family comes first,” Dick said admonishingly. Wally kneed him back.

“You’re family too, you know. Aunt Iris has been asking about you,” Wally said pointedly.

“Oh yeah?” Dick asked with a smile and Wally nodded rapidly.

“Yeah, she practically demanded you visit,” Wally said loftily and Dick chuckled. He let his eyes drift to the very edges of the expansive view in front of them, even though he knew there was no way he could spot Aunt Iris’s house in the suburbs from here.

“Hmm, that’d be nice,” Dick said wistfully and they took in the view serenely. 

_It’s so easy_ , _with you._ Dick wanted to say. He felt like he was in limbo, caught between the easy comfort he had with Wally and the difficult, complicated allure of Roy. There wasn’t much of a choice, he and Wally were friends, he’d made sure of that… but why did it feel like there was still that possibility of more? Dick wrestled with himself, lost in his thoughts with Wally standing unaware right next to him, emerald eyes gleaming in the dark, lips pulled into a smile.

Eventually, he pulled himself out of Wally’s half-embrace, and they went home.

* * *

When they opened the door, Roy was asleep on the couch. Dick and Wally shared a concerned look. Wally closed the door, then tentatively walked towards where Roy’s tired form was slumped into the couch. Dick suppressed his near instantaneous guilt for leaving Roy alone in the state he had been in.

Wally gently shook Roy awake and the redhead stirred after a few minutes.

“Hey, you okay man?” Wally said quietly, expression worried. Roy blinked his eyes open sleepily.

“Mmh, yeah. Sorry,” he mumbled, voice cracked and raspy. The man’s tired eyes met Dick’s over Wally’s shoulders. Roy held his gaze for a long moment, enough for the tension to return to Dick’s shoulders, before Wally’s concerned gaze caught his attention.

“I’m fine, just fell asleep,” Roy said and Wally pulled away. There was a pause, then Roy spoke.

“By the way… uh. Sorry about the damage to the wall,” he muttered awkwardly, he glanced at the dent still in the wall by the door. Dick startled when he realised Wally hadn’t seen Roy for a much longer time than him, since the redhead had been away on weekends.

“That was.. a while ago, don’t worry about it,” Wally said, puzzled but Roy looked chagrined.

“Nah. I shouldn’t have done that. I’ll get it fixed,” Roy said resolutely and Wally gave him a strange look.

“Sure…” Wally said and then he nodded.

Roy pulled himself off the couch with some difficulty, limbs sluggish with sleep. He shot Dick one final searching look that had Wally glancing between them curiously, then turned and walked towards his bedroom, out of sight. His conversation with Roy spun through his head. Dick bit his slip and stared at his shoes.

“Dick?” Wally said tentatively and Dick looked up at him quickly. Wally gestured towards the bedroom but Dick faltered.

“You go on ahead. I have… I have to make a call,” Dick said. Wally gave him a long look but then retreated to his bedroom with a reluctant shrug. Dick left the apartment, phone in hand and bounded down the stairs. He sat down on the stairs that led up to the apartment and his finger hovered over the contact.

Dick stared at the name then pressed it before he could lose his nerve. It was picked up on the first ring. Dick cleared his throat, heart thumping away as he listened to staticky breaths on the other end.

“Dad?” Dick said quietly, voice small. There was a relieved sigh.

“Richard,” Bruce replied. He sounded tired. Dick wondered if he’d woken him up.

“How are you?” Dick asked shakily. Bruce was silent on the other end.

“I’m well,” he finally said. Dick closed his eyes, thought about how pained Roy had sounded when he talked about his dead father.

“I miss you,” Dick said in a choked voice and there was a rustling on the other end, like Bruce had sat up in bed. Dick imagined it, imagined his adoptive father getting a call from him, waking up and picking up immediately when he saw Dick’s name on the Caller ID.

“I miss you too. Come home,” Bruce said and for a moment, Dick thought about it.

It’d be the easy way out, wouldn’t it? He could run away, he was good at that… but then he thought about everything, _everyone_ he’d leave behind. There were people he needed and people that needed him. He thought about Wally, about Zatanna, Megan, Conner, Artemis, Kaldur and … Roy. Dick knew Roy needed him, even though he wouldn’t ask for it.

“I can’t,” Dick said sadly and there was the crackle of a sigh on the phone.

“Richard, I… I’m sorry,” Bruce said and Dick nearly dropped the phone.

“What?” he whispered, and Bruce gave a dry chuckle at the shock in his tone.

“I’m sorry. I said a lot of things I didn’t mean. I was scared for you, and I was being selfish. You don’t have to hide, I love you and Gotham… Well, Gotham can go to hell,” Bruce said gruffly, in that choked, awkward way he did whenever he had to express emotions. Dick couldn’t suppress his smile.

“Thanks, for saying that… It means a lot coming from you. I love you too, Dad,” Dick said warmly. He felt lighter all of a sudden, and the air felt fresh, it didn’t catch in his lungs and make him feel like he was holding a weight on his chest.

“Then come home,” Bruce said desperately and Dick felt a pang.

“I can’t come home yet,” Dick said regretfully and then they fell into another silence.

“At least tell me where you are,” Bruce sighed and Dick smiled.

“You remember Wally? I’m staying with him in Central City,” Dick replied.

“Wallace West?” Bruce asked. Dick could hear his exasperation over the phone.

“Yes,” Dick replied, he couldn’t suppress the note of amusement in his voice.

“Well. At least you’re safe,” Bruce said in disgruntlement and Dick laughed.

“Hey! I still don’t get why you don’t like him. He’s a good guy,” Dick teased and Bruce made an annoyed sound.

“He’s… immature,” he muttered and Dick just knew the man was pouting. He imagined it, that downturn to Bruce’s lips that he constantly refused was a pout and chuckled.

“Well he’s all grown up now,” Dick pointed out and Bruce snorted in disbelief.

“I sincerely doubt that, but if you’re happy…” Bruce said and then trailed off. Dick smiled.

“I’ll be back. Not now, but… I haven’t forgotten about you,” Dick said reassuringly.

“I’m glad,” Bruce said, finally sounding some semblance of himself. Dick was about to end the conversation on that light note when suddenly Bruce spoke.

“There’s something you should know,” Bruce said abruptly and Dick’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“What do you mean,” Dick said and there was more rustling over the line.

“There has been… a new development,” Bruce said cryptically and Dick made a confused sound.

“Dad, stop beating around the bush,” Dick said, irritated at the man’s insistence on being obtuse. Bruce sighed explosively over the phone.

“An old flame of mine… She informed me I have a son. His name is Damian, he’s six years old and he’s living at the Manor,” Bruce said almost nonchalantly, as he dropped an absolute _bomb_ on him. Dick sputtered.

“You have a _son_ , and he’s _living_ with you and you only just told me?” Dick squawked.

“Well, it wasn’t like we were on speaking terms,” Bruce grumbled and Dick winced with guilt.

“Okay, okay. Why are you telling me now?” Dick said, feeling uncertain. There was silence and then Bruce spoke.

“I didn’t want you to come back and feel like… like I’d replaced you,” Bruce said awkwardly. Dick’s lips pulled up into a grin, he felt warmth blossom in his chest.

“Honestly… What do you take me for? He’s your _biological_ son. You really think I’d begrudge you a relationship with … Damian, was it?” Dick said with a grin. 

“Yes, his name is Damian. And no, I didn’t but… I am trying to be open with my… _feelings_ ,” Bruce said distastefully and Dick burst into laughter.

“Your… your _voice_. Has Alfred been giving you therapy again?” Dick teased and Bruce groaned in response.

“Alfred has simply been insufferable,” Bruce grumbled, but quietly, as if he was afraid Alfred would hear him.

“I bet he has, but I also bet you deserved it,” Dick said laughingly and Bruce made a begrudging sound of affirmation.

“Richard. I’m going to retire to bed now. I hope you’ll call again,” Bruce said tentatively, almost uncertainly.

“I will. Good night Dad,” Dick whispered with a smile. 

“Good night, son,” Bruce said and ended the call.

Dick sat on the steps, smiling to himself. Dick wasn’t going to run away… but it was nice to know he still had a place in Gotham.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen... don't we all want to stand on a rooftop with our bros, bromantically, while we talk about our brolationship overlooking the stars?
> 
> \+ Dick makes up with Batdaddy! Can I get a _hoyah_?


	30. Wants

Dick saw a lot more of Roy around the gym after their intimate conversation about Roy’s childhood. Dick tried not to read too much into it, but after weeks of barely seeing hide nor hair of Roy, it was definitely significant when he spotted Roy meeting Kaldur at Tigress Gym for the third time in a week. Roy’s surreptitious looks towards him weren’t lost on him either. Even mid-conversation with Kaldur, Dick felt the man’s eyes on him with alarming frequency. 

He wasn’t sure how to feel about it. He wanted to help Roy, but most of the time, it felt to him like Roy didn’t want to be helped. A melancholy, drunken conversation wasn’t enough for him to forget weeks of belligerence, so Dick decided to maintain his distance. 

As always, Roy had other plans. 

Dick walked out of the yoga studio to see Kaldur and Roy standing by one of the boxing rings. Roy was slouching against one of the corner pillars, listening absently to something Kaldur was telling him. He straightened a little when Dick walked out. Their eyes met immediately, like it was what Roy had been waiting for the entire time. Dick suppressed a frown and wondered if it was possible for him to just… walk past them without being accosted. 

It was an unrealistic hope to harbor. 

“Dick! You are done early today,” Kaldur said and waved him over. 

“Yeah, Z and Meg need the studio for Tai Chi and Meditation. It’s their joint lesson this week so yoga ended early,” Dick replied perfunctorily. 

Speaking of yoga, the prickle of Roy’s eyes on his body made him feel self-conscious. His fingers itched to tug his yoga shorts down a little lower and the layer of sweat over his body was distractingly uncomfortable. 

“I should go change!” Dick said abruptly, cutting off Kaldur, who was about to say something. Kaldur looked a little startled but he nodded agreeably. 

“Of course,” Kaldur replied. Dick smiled at him gratefully, shot a nervous look to Roy before he strode away in the direction of the changing rooms. He was nearly at the door when he heard thundering footsteps running his way.

“Dick, wait!” Roy called out and Dick froze, he considered pretending he hadn’t heard the shout that had reverberated through the entire corridor. His moment of indecision was enough for Roy to catch up to him and turn him around with a hand to his shoulder. 

“Roy,” Dick said, he kept his voice impassive, kept it pleasant even though adrenaline was starting to course through his veins. His mind and body both seemed to gear up for a confrontation at the sound of Roy’s voice... at the simplest of Roy’s touches. 

“Dick. I wanted to apologise,” Roy said, the hand on Dick’s shoulder trailed down, a lingering touch that stopped at his bicep. 

Dick tensed at the touch, remembered the imprint Roy’s fingers had left a week ago at the same spot, the violence in his eyes when he’d slammed Dick into the wall. Roy looked determined, his jaw was clenched and his gaze steely. All Dick wanted was some space between them, some reprieve from the man’s proximity. Every encounter with Roy seemed to make his pulse thunder in his ears. 

“Okay. Thanks,” Dick replied simply and turned to go. 

He was stopped by the sharp noise of confusion that left Roy’s throat, by the hand that grasped him and pulled him back around. 

“What? That’s it?” Roy barked, he looked like he’d been cheated and it put a sour taste in Dick’s mouth. 

_So this is what Roy has been gearing up to… An apology_ , he thinks, as he replayed the past week of the man orbiting around Dick. Of course, Roy expected Dick to just give in and accept the words as a boon… Accept them as a _gift_.

“What do you want from me, Roy?” Dick said and felt his lip curl upwards as he did. Roy’s eyes narrowed in response to Dick’s brusque tone and he took a step closer. Dick stiffened and tried to put some distance between them, but Roy loomed over him until Dick had to strain his neck to meet the taller man’s eyes. 

“What kind of question is that? I said I’m sorry,” Roy snapped and Dick let out a mirthless laugh. 

Roy’s grip tightened around his bicep. Dick bit the inside of his cheek. His body felt taut with tension, any looseness in his muscles from his yoga session dissipated as one by one, his muscles locked up. Dick warred between fight and flight. 

“And I accepted your apology,” Dick grit out and tried to shake out of Roy’s iron hold. He was tired of Roy’s impudence. He was tired of the man’s audacity to put his hands on Dick whenever he pleased. Roy’s eyes darkened and flicked down to his own hand but he still didn’t let go. 

“No you didn’t,” Roy muttered but his grip slackened a little when Dick struggled again. 

An apology snuck into those hardened eyes. Dick laughed out loud, a hysterical little sound. Another sharp vacillation from belligerence to penitence, Roy was an earthquake waiting to happen, and Dick was tired of being the seismograph that traced every tremor.

“What do you want, Roy? One minute you’re my friend, the other you’re telling me to mind my own business and throwing me into a wall,” Dick said, voice rising in volume with every word. His heartbeat was wild now, his body was thrumming and he wanted nothing more to slam his fist into Roy’s face. 

“Choose one!” he shouted. 

His voice echoed in the corridor so loudly it jolted him out of his frenzy. Someone had to have heard that, the gym wasn’t exactly empty and with sudden certainty Dick knew he had to leave this conversation. 

Roy looked stunned at Dick’s uncharacteristic aggression, as if he hadn’t expected Dick to be someone who’d fight back. Dick suppressed the urge to make it known just how aggressive he could be. He had to remind himself he had nothing to prove. He’d met Roy only a month ago but he was pretty sure he had the redhead pegged far better than any read Roy may have gotten on him. He knew instinctively that taking Roy on - right here, right now - would be like slamming his head against a brick wall. 

He seized Roy’s stasis as the gilded invitation for an exit that it was. Dick jerked his arm roughly, slapped a hand on Roy’s and tried to pry his grip open. It was more difficult than he’d expected it to be - his own fingers were trembling, and slip-sliding on the skin of Roy’s uneven knuckles. 

“Let me go,” Dick growled and flung his caustic gaze onto Roy. Roy flinched, he looked dumbfounded, he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a voice that wasn’t Dick’s. 

“Is there a problem here?” 

Dick turned to see Artemis standing at the now open door of the changing rooms. He grimaced and clenched his jaw because of course he’d been right in his assumption that his voice had been loud enough to be overheard. Roy’s hand left his arm as if burnt and Dick took a deliberate step back. He focused his gaze on the ground, feeling a prickle of shame to be caught in such a position by his colleague. 

“You! What the hell are you doing here?” Artemis hissed, eyes landing on Roy. 

“None of your business,” Roy muttered and Artemis scoffed in response. 

“Oh yeah? This is my gym. It’s _my_ establishment. So yes, it is my business,” Artemis said accusingly. 

Artemis had changed out of her gym uniform, but even in jeans and a tank top, she cut an intimidating figure in the doorway. Her fists, like Roy, were curled into fists and her legs were spread in the formation Dick saw every Friday in the boxing ring at MMA Night. She was a coiled spring, ready to release. 

“I was here to see Kaldur. I was just leaving,” Roy bit out but before he could move, Artemis strode up to him. It wasn’t lost on Dick the way she inserted herself in the space between him and Roy. 

“How’s Jade?” Artemis said, and even with her back to Dick, he knew her lips must be twisted into a nasty smirk with how vitriolic the words were. Roy’s body jerked in response and the laugh that came out of his mouth was bitter.

“Wouldn’t know, haven’t seen her in months,” Roy snapped. 

It was the wrong thing to say. 

Artemis sprung into action. She slammed a palm into Roy’s chest. The violent shove made his back hit the wall of the corridor with a resounding _thump_.

“What do you mean, you haven’t seen her? What did you do to her?” Artemis shouted. Dick shivered with the sheer trepidation in her voice. He took a step forward, hand upraised and poised over her shoulder but something about Roy’s pained gaze made him stop. 

“I didn’t do a damn thing. She broke up with me months ago and skipped town,” he whispered. 

His voice was a poor facsimile of the hostility Dick expected to hear. Quiet descended and slowly, Artemis backed away. Dick put a hand on her shoulder tentatively and she glanced at him quickly, then looked away, but it was enough for Dick to see the bitter hurt in her grey eyes. 

“Sounds like her,” Artemis muttered. 

All three of them stood there, strings cut, with all the collective energy sapped right out of them. 

The silence that permeated the room was melancholy and Dick suddenly felt out of place. He considered taking it as an opportunity to leave, and yet that seemed like a disservice to Artemis, who had come between him and Roy without a moment’s hesitation. He stayed and squeezed Artemis’s shoulder rhythmically as she chewed on her next words, rolled them around in her mouth before she finally let them out. 

“Did she ever mention me? At all?” Artemis said quickly, like she’d ripped the words out of her mouth forcibly. 

Roy looked at her warily. The tinge of pity that creeped into his green irises communicated his answer. Artemis laughed, a broken warble of a sound and then shook her head as if to say ‘ _of course, what did I expect?_ ’

“You should leave. I don’t know what I walked into, but it’s clear you’re not wanted here,” Artemis said firmly and straightened her posture. She’d washed the weakness out of her voice. She’d eradicated all hints of emotion in her body language. Now, she stood tall at Dick’s side. 

Dick removed his hand from her shoulder. It wasn’t needed. 

Roy looked at Dick a little frantically but Dick turned his gaze away before he could let those eyes implore him into submission. Artemis tapped a foot on the floor impatiently and stared at Roy until he made a frustrated sound.

“Look, I just want a few minutes with Dick, just to talk!” Roy exclaimed. Artemis took a step forward - it was slow and deliberate - a warning. Dick stayed where he was with his face turned away. 

“Please! You can - you can stay and listen if you want. I don’t care, I just want to say my piece and then… and then I’ll leave,” Roy said, his voice was frenetic and charged with desperation. Against his own wishes, Dick looked up. He met anguished, desperate green eyes and wilted.

“It’s fine, Artemis. We live together, it was just a petty argument,” Dick said, carefully kept his tone measured and calm. 

Artemis looked between them skeptically, but relented when Dick smiled at her reassuringly. She walked away with one last pointed glare at Roy, and then they were alone again. 

“Say your piece, then,” Dick said monotonously. His smile fell away and he leveled Roy with a hard look. Roy took a deep breath but didn’t step any closer like Dick expected him to. 

“You asked me what I wanted from you,” Roy began, eyes guarded. 

Dick gestured for him to continue.

“I don’t want anything from you,” Roy said. He looked aggrieved, like saying the words was a struggle for him. 

Dick wondered if that statement was true. Then he wondered if he even wanted it to be true, for Roy to want nothing from him. There was a need, a need to be wanted within him that Dick had put in a box, years ago, before he locked it up and threw away the key. 

Roy had unwittingly pried it open. 

“I just wanted to apologise for treating you like shit, when all you did so far was help me…” Roy whispered, his eyes were pinning Dick in place like he was an errant fly, caught fast in a trap. 

“I’ve never told anybody what I told you, about my dad. I was drunk when I did, but I don’t regret telling you,” Roy said in a hush, his eyes were liquid and they cut into Dick like a hot knife. 

“And I get it! I get that I’m all over the place. There are things that I’ve been dealing with but that’s not an excuse to treat you the way I did, and you didn’t deserve any of what I put you through,” Roy’s voice was raw. It was a tone Dick had never heard from the man - even when he’d been drunk - and the rough edge of it scraped and tugged at Dick’s heartstrings.

“I understand if you want nothing to do with me,” Roy said with finality, and the intensity in his eyes got put out like a match, until only dull deadness remained. 

His words sent a pang of disappointment through Dick’s chest and the feeling was so immediate, so visceral, that it left him more shaken than anything Roy had said to him so far.

He looked into green eyes and Roy stared back, with his walls down, and let Dick catch a glimpse behind the redhead’s coarse façade. It was unavoidable then, to pretend Roy didn’t matter to him. He’d been fooling himself, all this while, pretending he didn’t want to unwrap the man, inspect all his gritty pieces, clean them till they shone and view the person Roy really was beneath the grime.

“I never said I don’t want anything to do with you,” Dick said abruptly, the words tumbled out of his mouth unbidden, but he didn’t detract them. Dick continued before he could falter. 

“Do you really want nothing from me?” Dick asked. It was bold. Perhaps it was also stupid, but Roy had let his walls down, and the real test was whether or not he would let Dick take a step behind them. 

“What are you willing to offer me?” Roy asked in lieu of answering. 

It was a tentative toe dipped into an unfamiliar lake, like the man had flung himself into a lake once, without gauging the depth of it. Dick felt a sort of kinship with that sentiment, so he smiled back in amusement.

“Friendship,” Dick replied simply. 

“I don’t deserve it,” Roy retorted immediately, vehement with self-hatred.

“Is that for you to decide?” Dick was quick to fire back. 

Roy’s mouth fell agape. He floundered for words and the discombobulated look on his face made Dick chuckle. It lightened the thick fog of tension that had descended over them, until even Roy cracked half a smile. 

“No, I guess it’s not,” Roy said wonderingly, with a soft look in his eyes. 

“How does it sound then? Friendship?” Dick asked playfully, one eyebrow raised in challenge. Roy’s half smile pulled up into a familiar smirk. 

“Sounds swell, Dickie,” he drawled and Dick snorted at the nickname. 

“Now that all of… _that_ is out of the way. I’m going to go change,” Dick said pointedly.

“Right! Sorry,” Roy sputtered. He looked embarrassed, like he'd only just realised he'd accosted Dick at his workplace.

Dick snorted and shook his head. He pushed past Roy towards the changing rooms. He pretended not to notice Roy’s eyes following him as he walked. He pretended he wasn’t wondering what Roy would have said... if he’d offered more than just friendship. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: 
> 
> This fic is on hiatus for the foreseeable future due to life.   
> Sorry 😔


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